{recipe} oatmeal raisin cookies + a surprise visit!

I'm not sure what is getting into me. Do you see these cookies???  And don't forget about these and these.

This is not normal.

I have always claimed I am not a baker. I don't like to measure things and would much prefer to just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and call it a day than deal with the oven and exact measurements. Lately though, I have been CRAVING baking. Like, I get home and all I want to do is heat up the oven and bake some homemade cookies. 

Who am I anymore?!?

I have been wanting to bake oatmeal raisin cookies for the past few weeks. I'm not quite sure what this craving grew out of but I knew that as soon as I got home from the GRE it was going to be oatmeal raisin cookie baking time. The recipe I used seemed to be the champion recipe of the blog world. Every recipe I found seemed to link back to one source, the fabulous Smitten Kitchen. I had all of the ingredients to bake these cookies by some miraculous instance so as soon as I got home from the GRE I poured myself a glass of wine and got baking.

Click on the picture to view the recipe larger, or click here for the original recipe link.

On a completely unrelated topic, it is almost Monday. AKA, update you on my weekend time. :)

Remember how I said I couldn't tell you where I was traveling to this weekend before?  Wellll, it is because two of my best friends from home happen to read my blog and I was about to leave Tallahassee to surprise them for their 22nd birthdays.I  have NEVER been able to make it to Orlando for their birthdays before because I have always had either a home football game or some mandatory Phi Mu event going on. I told them that I couldn't come again this year but decided to surprise them. 

We went to City Walk in Universal and got a pass to go to all of the different bars. The drinks were mighty expensive but it was still a really fun night! There were sing-a-longs to dueling pianos, karaoke, salsa dancing, a little bit of reggae, and lots of fruity drinks. City Walk has a little bit of everything to offer.

We completely slacked on taking pictures this weekend but the picture above is of the birthday girls, Chelsea and Krista, with one of the dueling piano players at the replica version of Pat O'Brien's in Universal's City Walk.

Below is a picture of all of the girls at the karaoke place, Rising Star. There was a live band but the rule was that you had to sing alone. I was way too intimidated to karaoke alone but it was definitely entertaining.

The rest of my weekend was pretty low key. I watched my poor, poor team lose to Clemson. 

(Speaking of Clemson, they were SO underrated in the preseason. They are absolutely killing it this season!) I'm glad the Noles have a by-week before the next game. Hopefully they will practice hard and make us proud next time.

After the game, my friends and I met Krista at her work after she got off and we drank lots of wine and talked for hours. It was great catching up with everyone. I'm so glad I actually had a free weekend and could make it down for their birthdays this year.

Okay, story time is over.

All I have left to say is, please make these cookies very soon?

They are chewy and yummy and perfect and just pretty much everything good in life.

Pinky promise.

How were your weekends?!