Hello May!

April showers bring....May flowers! 

My sweet husband brought me these beautiful tulips just because he loves me. 

They are my absolute favorite! 

I smile every time I look their direction.

We had some very dear friends over for dinner last night & she surprised me with tulips also.

Aren't they gorgeous?  I think I may plant these so they'll come back next year :)

We absolutely enjoyed our time with them & we're looking forward to getting together again soon.

God is so good to place special & true friends in our lives.  He has blessed us tremendously!

April definitely left with a bang in our neck of the woods. Tornadoes ripped through the small town where my parents live (& where Jake & I used to live) last Saturday night.  Main Street, given the name "Million Dollar Avenue" for its appeal & charm, now looks like this:

Our yard looked like this

and this when we left it in September

but now it looks like this

(this is from the left side of the house)

and this

(looking toward the right side of the house)

There was no damage to the house. 

I'm most grateful that my family okay! Thankfully, my parents had no damage to their "project house" they're remodeling, which is just two streets over. We're going up to visit them tomorrow (& to help with clean-up should the weather permit). I'm very much looking forward to spending time with them. When things like this happen, we're reminded just how fortunate we are. This one hit very close to home.

Before I head out I want to share a yummy recipe I tried out on my friends last night (brave, right?).  It turned out superbly as they were super impressed.  Or at least they pretended to be :) 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade (from an old Southern Living magazine):

Makes 6 servings; Cal: 317   Fat: 5   Fiber: 1

1 cup pineapple jice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup lite soy sauce

1 (1 1/2 lb) package pork tenderloins

1 (12 oz) jar orange marmalade

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish or large Ziploc freezer bag; add pork tenderloins. Cover or seal & chill 1 hour.

Cook orange marmalade in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove & reserve 1/4 cup for basting; keep remaining marmalade warm.

Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill pork, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350-400 degrees) 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees; baste with reserved 1/4 cup marmalade the last 5 mintues. Serve with remaining warm marmalade.

I served with garlic roasted potates & steamed asparagus.

Thanks for sticking with me on this roller coaster of a post & for letting me be real.