For David...

My heart is so heavy today, one phone call has completely turned everything upside down. My heart is literally breaking and I'm having a hard time finding the words to comfort my sister, to make sense of what has happened, to encourage family and friends who are hurting. 

David was my sister's fiance, among many other things. He was smart, funny and he loved my sister more than anything in this world. He became a brother to me, my husband and my younger brother Matthew. He became an uncle to my sons. Anytime Noah would see my sister, Katelynn, he would immediately ask where David was. He knew wherever Katelynn was, David was close by. And now he's gone... Just like that...

I don't understand it. It's not fair, it's not right. He was just starting his life, he had received a scholarship, he had proposed to my sister, they were making plans for their future... they were happy. And now his life is over, and she's left to pick up the pieces and to go on with her life without him. All of their plans together have been shattered. He is no longer a part of that future. And I HATE IT! I loved David, we all loved David, we all knew he was going to be a part of our family forever.

I had to sit my 3 year old down and try to explain this to him. I told him David was no longer with us, he is in heaven with the angels. Noah didn't really understand that, but he somewhat grasped that David had been hurt and he wasn't going to be around anymore. I was surprised that my 3 year old understood as much as he did, and he exclaimed, "Oh no!" and he asked if he could kiss David's boo boo to make him better..... I wish it worked like that, I wish it was that easy. I wish a lot of things, but most of all I just wish he was still alive.

Why did he have to get in that car.... why did he have to fall asleep at the wheel.... why did any of this happen? I don't understand it. It wasn't supposed to happen this way!

Life is so fragile. We all know we aren't promised tomorrow... well, at least we say the words, but we never expect for life to be cut so short. 

I hate to know that my sister is hurting, and there is nothing I can do or say to make it better. I can't take this pain from her, I can't carry this for her. God knows if I could, I would! 

She was his angel here on earth, and now he is hers. 

I love you David, I will miss you, you were a part of this family and you always will be!

You may not have made it to the church, my sister may not have made it down the aisle... but in my eyes you were my brother, you were the love of her life and you will always hold a special place in our hearts...

Thank you for loving my sister, for making her the happiest I have ever seen her...

I will always remember the day we spent taking these pictures... climbing over fences, driving around looking for the perfect spots to take the photos, sweating like crazy, lime gatorade, smashing down the tall weeds, trespassing :/ lol It was fun and I'm so glad you guys let me take these pictures.

You will forever be missed!

Shrimp Scampi

Y'all should just know that as far as food goes, I live and breathe for shrimp. If I could, I would eat it daily. 

Just give me a house on the beach, with my family, and all of the fresh shrimp I can eat and I will die happy. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

I hate to use the term 'shrimp snob' when describing myself because the word 'snob' always rubs me the wrong way. And it sounds way too much like 'snot' and 'blob'...gross. Feel free to label me a shrimp connoisseur instead, because as we just covered, snobs are snotty blobs. Not cute.

Now, on to the dish that features my favorite crustacean!

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh shrimp, deveined, cleaned and butterflied
• milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb angel hair pasta
• 3 TBS minced garlic
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 shallot, thinly diced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• olive oil
• 5 fresh basil leaves cut into a chiffonade
• 4 TBS finally grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheeses  

Directions

 

Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat, pour enough olive oil into the saucepan to cover the bottom.  Do not use too much oil, just enough to cover the bottom. Toss the shrimp into the milk to soak, I used a small mixing bowl and filled it with milk about 2/3 full. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, 2 TBS of parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Take the shrimp out of the milk and coat with the dry mixture. Once the shrimp is coated, let them fry in the olive for a couple of minutes per side or until golden brown. You can expect some of the dry mixture to fall off. Once the shrimp is done, place it on a paper towel covered plate and set aside. 

Using the same saucepan (do not rinse out) add the minced garlic to the oil and stir continuously for a few minutes and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the white wine and bring it to a boil. Turn your heat back down to low and cover the sauce pan for about 15 minutes, letting the wine reduce down. 

Go ahead and get a separate pot out, fill up about 2/3 full with water and bring it to a simmer. This is for the angel hair pasta, later on. 

Back to the sauce. Once the white wine has reduced, add in the heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. Once the sauce strikes a boil turn the heat back down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. After the cream sauce has simmered add in the diced tomatoes, diced shallot, the chiffonade of basil, the 2 remaining TBS of Parmesan cheese and the shredded Italian cheeses. Stir until combined and then add in the fried shrimp. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it thicken/cool.

 

Bring the pot of water to a full boil and add in the angel hair pasta. Follow the directions on the box.

 

When you are plating, you can pour the shrimp and sauce directly over the pasta or on the side. Your choice!

It sounds like work, but honey it's worth it! 

My Weekend in Photos

We had a great weekend, but we were short one handsome toddler. Noah is staying at my parents' house while Adam and I get things ready for his big surprise party! And that explains the last picture, that would be the loveable dog, Blue, one of Noah's favorite cartoon characters. I am making everything by hand and that includes little Blue, it's taking a while to get it all made but it's coming along!

Hope you all had a great weekend!