May 02, 2017

Weekend Girls Trip to Charleston, South Carolina

May 02, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

Every now and then it's great to get away with your girlfriends. Whether it be at a happy hour or a weekend vacation, every gal needs her pals to loosen up and relax with.

This past weekend my friend Sarah of "Life of a Frye", twin sis, mom and two aunts boarded a Southwest flight to Charleston, SC for a quick getaway. I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Charleston and was so pumped to hear that this was going to be our girls trip destination.

April 17, 2017

Staycation at the La Cantera Resort & Spa

April 17, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

For our first wedding anniversary J and I decided to spend a day and evening at the hotel where we had our wedding reception: The La Cantera Resort & Spa. Last year at this time, the hotel was undergoing renovations, and although the ballrooms, lobby, and some new restaurants were open a lot of the amazing features like the adult pool, spa, and the majority of the guest rooms had yet to be finished.

April 14, 2017

One Year and Counting: A Questionnaire About Our 1st Year of Marriage

April 14, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

I cannot believe this time last year J and I were kicking off our wedding weekend. Family and friends had started to travel in from across the state to celebrate our big day. I was counting down the hours until our rehearsal.

April 10, 2017

'Check' it Out!

April 10, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

I love fashion, but many of the bloggers I follow are tall and skinny and make anything they wear look great. I, on the other hand, couldn't attempt half of the looks they promoted because my body is the exact opposite.

April 06, 2017

"Thanks A Billion" Event with JB Goodwin, REALTORS®

April 06, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

You know when you get that warm fuzzy feeling inside after you've finally someone and you just know the person is "the one"? Who would have thought that was possible choosing a place of employment?

March 17, 2017

Maple Coriander Roasted Carrots

March 17, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

We've come to the end of our at-home date night meal from this weekend. Last on the menu, Maple Coriander Roasted Carrots- a side dish that is super simple to whip up, but tastes decadent and expensive.

March 15, 2017

Herb-Butter Roasted Chicken

March 15, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

It's time for "Part 2" of J's and my recent at-home date night feast. (If you missed the salad course posted earlier this week, check it out here.)

I'm highlighting the DELICIOUS main course next. Oddly enough I had never cooked with a whole chicken prior to this recipe.

March 13, 2017

Spring Green Salad with Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette

March 13, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

After a busy work week for both J and I, we decided to have another "date night" at the house making a brand new, and complex recipe out of the cookbook I received from my brother-in-law for Christmas. Conveniently enough it's titled Date Night In.

March 06, 2017

Brunch Meets Eggspectations

March 06, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

J traveled back to his hometown this weekend so I was left to fend for myself. I planned several activities with friends and family so that I would stay occupied while he was away.

February 26, 2017

Let's Rodeo, San Antonio!

February 26, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

I haven't been to the rodeo in years. YEARS! Every year the dirt and sand come out and the bulls and cowboys head to town, yet the last time I threw on true cowboy boots and headed down to see the events was at least solid 11 years ago.

February 22, 2017

Baked Spinach Ravioli

February 22, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

For Christmas my Nana gifted me a subscription to Food Network magazine. I'm excited every time a new issue comes in the mail, but I was particularly excited about this March's issue because it was The Italian Issue!

February 17, 2017

Creamy Chicken & Rice

February 17, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

J and I are pretty simple folk. We like the food we like. We like the shows we like. We like the clothes we like. This dish is just another one of those things we like to like.

February 12, 2017

My Week in a Nutshell: 2/5-2/11

February 12, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

Oh em gee. You know that Keith Urban song with the lyrics, "Days go by. I can feel 'em flyin' like a hand out the window in the wind..." No truer words have been spoken to sum up these past few weeks, but this last one in particular.

February 07, 2017

Creamy Italian Sausage & Mushroom Rigatoni

February 07, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

My laptop is perched on my "food belly" writing this post today. It's been a while since J and I branched out of our normal meals to cook something different and tasty. We've tried a few new recipes, but, unfortunately, they weren't blog worthy. (Hate it when that happens...).

January 09, 2017

Earning with Ebates

January 09, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

"I got paid to shop!"

We've all seen & heard the Ebates.com commercial. Sounds way too good to be true, right? Why would they pay me to shop? Makes no sense. People want you to give them money when you shop, not the other way around...

January 03, 2017

A Great Ending to A New Beginning

January 03, 2017/ Samantha Lighty

It's truly crazy to think back and realize that another year has come and gone. This time last year, I was in full wedding planning mode. After the holidays passed, I felt like the wedding planning went into overdrive and I ate, breathed, and slept it.

December 29, 2016

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw & Baked Beans

December 29, 2016/ Samantha Lighty

For Christmas my brother-in-law gifted me an amazing cookbook called "Date Night". It's filled with three to four course meals you and your partner can prepare and enjoy together. I was so excited to receive this, and didn't take long to start planning out J's and my future at-home date night meals.

December 27, 2016

Holiday Happenings

December 27, 2016/ Samantha Lighty

With so much going on this past month, I’m embarrassed to even be saying out loud how little I’ve blogged. A couple of weeks have gone by with no posting and it makes me sad. Not because nothing has been going on, but because I just haven’t found the time to write about it.

December 08, 2016

Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles

December 08, 2016/ Samantha Lighty

Guyyyysss! Where has the time gone?! Why is it that when the holiday season rolls around, the days seem to fly by exponentially? Isn't this time of year supposed to be a time of quiet reflection and relaxing with family...?

December 01, 2016

Spaghetti with Sausage & Spinach

December 01, 2016/ Samantha Lighty

You know those days when you're running around working, Christmas shopping, cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc. and the last thing you want to do is make something that takes an hour to cook and prep?