- 10th-12th: Kevin came to visit me for the weekend! It was much to short, but it was pretty much perfect! -

- 18th: My wonderful brother-in-law's birthday! Happy Birthday, John! -

- 19th: Happy Father's Day, dad! You're the best father any girl could have! Thank you! -

- 26th: My cousin and her husband and adorable son stayed with us for the night. It was so fun to catch up and revisit old memories with them! -

I went to pick Kevin up down on the strip where his friends were staying. I waited in an elevator lobby for him to meet me. We were talking on the phone, I turned and there he was. That kiss was pretty darn incredible!

Dropping Kevin off in the exact same spot was really hard. Sometimes this long distance thing REALLY sucks.

Pancakes. Seriously.

Matched by Ally Condie - It was decent. The writing was a little shallow, but I thought it was interesting enough.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - So sad. So beautiful. The writing is simple, but really good and gripping.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Disappointing. I was expecting something different. I loved the ending though!

The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley - A surprisingly WONDERFUL read! I loved this book from beginning to end! It was refreshing to LOVE a book after so many 'eh' books.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher - Interesting and original. I'm having mixed feelings. I liked it but still didn't feel connected to it.

Heroes - Season one only. It's the only one worth watching.

Glee - Season one as well. It was the only one on Netflix.

Medium - I've been watching it for months. Finally just got tired of it. It just stops being amazing after season 3 or 4.

Samantha Who - Hilarious and cute! I'm only halfway through season one.

I didn't do anything too exciting this month. There were definitely some INCREDIBLE experiences, but it was just refreshing to have a month where I could just relax a little. I read a lot of books, watched a lot of wonderful shows, and just had time to myself. It was nice. I'm definitely looking forward to a few more exciting things in July!

Have any of you ever had beignets? 

As soon as I found out that we were heading to Louisiana, this was on the top of my list of food that I wanted to try while in the Bayou.

We went to this adorable little coffee shop called the "Coffee Call" just for the Beignets. And goodness gracious! They were amazing!

Alyson and I got an order of Beignet Fingers because they were easier to share than the traditional style. They were so incredible and so messy!

If you are ever in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; The Coffee Call and their Beignets are a stop you should really make! The shop is so cute and the food is yummy and affordable! I'm definitely a fan!

- 3rd: Interview at Hallmark. It went wonderfully. I never got called. -

- 6th: Interview at GameStop. Also a great interview! -

- 8th: Happy Mother's Day mom! I love you so much! -

- 12th: My 22nd birthday! I spent the day watching all three Extended Lord of the Rings and lounging. It was a beautiful day and a great way to start this year of my life! -

- 13th: Interview at SmashBurger. No word. But I did get the job at GameStop! -

-19th: My first day of work at GameStop! Crazy times! It's a lot to learn. I think I'm finally getting the hang of things. -

- 20th: Drove with Alyson up to Salt Lake City. We met Julie and Cassie and we started our Cousin's Weekend by eating at Cafe Med. Then we laughed a whole lot at Laughing Stock. -

- 21st: Cousin's Weekend day two! We ate at Zupa's for lunch then went to Toad's for some arcade fun! Dinner at Olive Garden was the best way to celebrate that we didn't get raptured! -

- 22nd: We left our lovely cousins and met my beautiful sister Kristi and her boyfriend Ronnie in Provo. Kristi is so nice. She is letting me borrow her car for a while until I can get my own. -

-24th: My man graduated from College! He is amazing! I'm so proud of you Kevin! -

-27th: Alyson and I joined her friend Akilah and Akilah's friend Kisha and we headed to the airport. We took two planes and landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We hopped in our rental car and drove to New Orleans where we had ice cream and walked around Bourbon Street and explored the French Quarter.

-28th: Louisiana Day Two. We had Po Boys for lunch and bought me a cowboy hat for the concert. We went a bit late to the Country Fest and saw Sugarland and Tim McGraw perform. Both were awesome! -

- 29th: Louisiana Day Three. We had Beignets for lunch! Oh man! So tasty! Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a lunch and I got really sick from hunger. The first bit of the concert wasn't so fun because of it. But Kenny Chesney got me feeling better! -

- 30th: We got back in the dreadful planes. But after hours of traveling, I made it home. Thank goodness. -

- 31st: I got my first pay check! Woo! -

Finding out that Kevin is going to be here for a visit in June! That phone call was VERY happy!

I only had either of these once this month, but I think they are tied for first. The Salmon Sandwich from Cafe Med or the Chicken Enchilada Chili from Zupa's. Mm!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Wonderful. But it was the hardest for me to read.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - My favorite of the series I think. I love this book!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Such a wonderful end to a wonderful set of books! I think J.K. Rowling is pretty much a genius!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - Easy read. I've been meaning to read it since I read Deathly Hallows the first time. It was an interesting little look into the history of the wizarding world.

Ender's Game - Very interesting book. Not what I expected. It's good, but it wasn't my all time favorite.

Salt Lake City, Utah (and surrounding areas)

Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana 

Fresh strawberries are one of the best things about this time of year. And one of the best things to do with fresh strawberries is make strawberry shortcake.

And I make them like any middle class white girl would.

With twinkies.

The awesome little angel food, cream filled treats are perfect for strawberry short cake!

Just slice up the strawberries, add some sugar and mix. Cut a few twinkies in half, top with strawberries and add whipped cream! I love spring!!

Don't forget to vote for Simply Kate on For The Love of Blogs for Blog of the Month!

You can cut up fresh strawberries if you want. But I will admit I like frozen strawberries. The juice soaks into the pancakes and tastes amazing!

Don't forget to vote for Simply Kate on For The Love of Blogs for Blog of the Month!

I've mentioned before that one of the things that I miss most about Kevin is cooking with him. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being in the kitchen with him and I was even more shocked that he wanted to be cooking with me in the first place.

He even brought his own recipe and it was one of my favorites of his visit.

Butterbeer is something that I've wanted to try since it was first mentioned in Harry Potter. I've wondered how it would taste and wished that it actually existed somewhere.

Boyfriend, who is also a Harry Potter fan, found a recipe online that was duplicating the flavor of Butterbeer at the Harry Potter theme park. And we decided to try it.

I definitely think you should check out Kevin's post about making Butterbeer, because he uses pictures of the steps and I forgot to document that.

Here's what you need!

Kevin and I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen while he was here. I've never had that much fun cooking. 

They were absolutely delicious.
We made pancakes from scratch and topped them with strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup.

The day started with pancakes. Or rather a trip to the store to get things so we could make pancakes.

The pancakes turned out a bit too thin, but still tasted wonderfully, and it was amazing good times to cook together in the kitchen.

(Stay tuned for an entire post about the food we made over Kevin's visit.)

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was played with my sister. That game is ridiculously hard to play with three players. I died. A lot. It was hilarious.

Of course there was a bunch more kissing, cuddling and hand holding wherever we went. I couldn't get enough of him. So all through Smith's, GameStop, Cafe Rio and Yogurtland, we were always sickeningly adorable together.

I never thought I'd be a big fan of Public Displays of Affection, but PDA is actually really fun.

Chili's is one of my favorite restaurants. It may not be the fanciest place, but the decor is fun and the food is good! 

Alyson treated me to a wonderful meal there the other day and I couldn't have been happier! We tried to figure out the last time we had been there, and all we could come up with was "a very long time ago."

I'm going to take you through the perfect meal for my taste buds.

First: Strawberry Lemonade.

I get Strawberry (or raspberry) Lemonade at nearly every restaurant that offers it. 

Chili's has one of the best flavors. It's sweet, but not TOO sweet and also not too sour that you feel the need to add three sugar packets to the beverage. And though I've learned not to let them bother me, it doesn't have pieces of soggy strawberries floating in the drink, which makes it awesome. It's a good choice!

Second: Cajun Chicken Pasta.

Penne pasta in a creamy alfredo sauce, with cajun seasoning, grilled chicken, tomatoes, green onions and parmesan cheese with a side of Texas toast. It's perfect. 

For years, I never strayed from the fajitas or ribs (both great, by the way) until I took a step out of my comfort zone and ordered this wonderful dish. It tastes wonderful, and when you can't finish it, it warms up perfectly in the microwave at home!

Third: Molten Lava Cake

It's as rich as it looks. You NEED the ice cream to help keep you from dying in a sugary coma of happiness! I have loved this desert from the first moment I tried it. It is one of my favorite deserts of all time. Top five easily!

When you leave that restaurant, you should be feeling fat and happy. It's a total diet killer. 

But that's how it should be!

Highlights:

- 4th-7th: Jamey came to visit Alyson. We had good times. We went to the strip, and ate at Red Robin and Macaroni Grill! -

- 5th: Happy Birthday Alyson! -

- 6th: I went to see Beastly. It was only okay. But I had fun wandering the casino while I waited for the movie to start! -

- 7th: I had an interview at Target. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. -

-12th: Aly and I went out and got some Starbucks and enjoyed Chinese Food. -

- 17th: Happy St. Patrick's Day! I just love a day for everything green! -

- 19th: I celebrated my 200th post! Quite the milestone! -

- 24th: I met an online friend in person for the first time! Clair and I had lots of fun getting Yogurtland and SmashBurger while chatting and gossiping about other bloggers. -

- 24th-26th: I was home alone while Alyson went to a wedding. It was nice to have the house to myself. -

- Alyson and I played a whole lot of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We laughed so much I thought I was going to die. It was great times! -

- I was browsing pictures for a post around the 22nd, and found a few of my grandma. It was one of those moments when I realize that she's not really around anymore. I'm not going to be able to visit home and see her. She won't be there on holidays. She's just not here anymore. It was a really bad night. -

New Movies Watched: 
- Beastly: It was fun to get out of the house, but the movie was extremely cheesy and the acting (except for Neil Patrick Harris) was mediocre. -

- Due Date: What a stupid movie. I loved it. Oh man. -

(It was a good month for TV shows. These are the ones that I finished this month.)

- How I Met Your Mother: This show is hilarious. I'd been meaning to watch it for ages, and it didn't let me down! It is just too funny! -

- Pushing Daisies: I really enjoyed the whimsical nature of this show. I liked the first season better than the second, but it was just enjoyable all around! -

- Better Off Ted: I LOVE this show! I didn't even know it existed when it was on the air, and was so sad when I realized that there were only two seasons! So so funny! -

- Big Bang Theory: Another show I had been meaning to watch for such a long time. I love all the of the nerd references and geeky humor! I enjoyed being able to relate to everyone in the show the way I don't usually with the pretty people shows. So great! -

- New York Cheesecake frozen yogurt with kiwi from Yogurtland, without a doubt! -

- SmashBurger: SO good! I'm so glad Clair suggested it! -

- Farmer Boys: It was so far away from our house that by the time we got back the food was kind of cold, but it was definitely enjoyable. I loved that my burger had avocado on it! -

Favorite Photos Taken:

Overall Impression: 
It was a good month. A bit stressful because I haven't found a job yet; but I had so much fun blogging this month and I had so much to look forward to. It's been a long time since I felt this happy!