7.31.2010

Yummy.

It's been a delicious weekend so far. Went to Basil on a 50% off groupon and had a great meal. Sushi. Sesame Chicken. Rice. Yum.
Me in my new dress.
I ended up spending all of my camera savings yesterday on this dress (which is a very navy blue baby doll dress with white embrodory around the neck and on the bottom hem) and on another dress at ross. I've decided dresses are my new favorite. I've also decided I can't go anywhere where there is cute clothing while I have my savings in tow. Sometime today or tomorrow I'm going to make a "piggy bank" out of an old almond bucket so I can stash my cash at home and not have it burning a hold in my wallet. I plan to make this old almond bucket pretty awesome and completely Houdini proof so that once the money is in, i will have to tear the bucket to shreds to get to the cash....if it ends up being cute - pictures will be posted....now where was i...oh yeah. basil.
Our waiters arm flashing across the center of the picture.
We LOVED Basil. Josh and I tend to get into eating out ruts. we go to the same places and order the same things over and over again. What can I say, we are creatures of habit. After our risk on the Basil groupon going so well, we decided that we are going to check our daily groupons for 50% off deals at restaurants in the area that we can spend our eat-out fund on. We will try new places AND eat at really low prices! :)

After eating we met up with friends for a bowling competition! New and old friends alike braved the stinky shoes and the neon painted city skylines at the end of each lane for some catching up and competition. Two of my favorite things.Turns out Josh is a really good bowler. Everyone was shocked when he got a Turkey (3 strikes in a row) But, I was not surprised. I think frisbee is a similar motion/muscle used and since he is pretty much a pro at frisbee, i knew he would be good a bowling. Plus, he is my hubby. and he's awesome. I think one of the games he had a 155!!
I had a rougher go at it...i'm not even going to say what my score was but it may or may not have rhymed with schmixty-sleven. My competitive edge kept rising up threatening to ruin my evening, but i brushed it off like a pro...one might say that bowling is 95% mental and I dominated that 95% and took this picture!
Cutie cute!

Saturday morning consisted of rich red tomatoes the size of praying fists, bright yellow squash, pink russet potatoes, sweet cream corn on the cob, deep purple egg plant
Twangy bluegrass played by these guys
while little girls in pig tails twirled with their daddy and begged to pet willow. Giant sun flowers walking around in bouquets surrounded by color.
Willow choking herself on her collar trying to get to every last crumb possible.
And ending with a purchase of five of these juicy sweet deliciously golden peaches.
Ah...the farmers market. Happy weekending.

7.30.2010

Back in the Saddle Again

Ah...i'm dreading writing this, but I feel I should. I need to get it out there and establish it with the world in semi-permanent written state so maybe someone will actually hold me accountable.

I'm going to lose weight.

Somehow over the past 2 years i've managed to slowly add on 5 lbs here another 5 lbs there till now i'm 20 pounds heavier, not much seems to fit any more, and all weight loss motivation and self-control seems to have fallen by the wayside. It's gotten a little ridiculous, actually. I don't have the "i had a baby" excuse. nor do i have the "i don't have money to join a gym" excuse (because, well I haven't had a baby and i'm a member to a gym that i've only been to 2 times in the last month...sigh). I've pretty much just let myself go and not tried to live a healthy lifestyle, and I have no one and nothing to blame but myself. Turns out you actually have to TRY and put for some effort and sweat in order to stay healthy.

This time I'm going to avoid all my usual habits of wallowing in self pity, regret, insecurity, standing-in-front-of-a-mirror-making-the-most-horrifying-double-chin-and-then-crying-myself-to-sleep, blah, blah, blah. Because I don't want to let this extra weight bring me down. It doesn't define me. I'm the same person I was before and honestly, I still feel confident in how I look. And I still know that real beauty is on the inside and I'm a loved person (by God, my Husband, family, friends) and that's what matters. But, I know this non-active lifestyle and not what is good for me in the long run, and I really prefer the way my jeans fit back in the good ole days.

So here if my official "Jumping Back in the Saddle" announcement.
  • I'm going to pick up running again. I've signed myself up for a 5K in Oct. (I know that Oct. is a long ways away, and a 5K isn't that long to run, but hey - it's my start. Maybe someday I will work my way back up to a 1/2 marathon. No promises though, Doug.)
  • I'm going to drink more water.
  • I'm going to drink less soda...and coffee...and wine...
  • I'm going to eat more veggies (yesterday might have been my worst food day ever, not in a super-unheathly-lots-of-fat-and-sugar kinda way, but in an all-i-ate-all-day-were-carbs-...-literally kinda way)
  • I WILL cook healthy fresh fish for dinner at least once a week.
  • I will eat smaller portions and realize when i'm actually hungry and not just bored
  • I will eat good food still, just in smaller portions/better for you ways
  • I will do yoga 2 times a week.
  • I will walk willow more.
  • I will realize that I have to sweat and do things I don't want to do (like wake up at 5:30 am to put my body in physical pain at the gym) in order to succeed.
  • I will allow God to be a part of this process.
So...that's that. Feel free to ask how things are going from time to time. I'm not going to turn this into a "road-to-fitness" blog or anything, but any encouragement, healthy recipes, fun exercise ideas and more are much appreciated.

p.s. confession - i haven't actually signed up for the 5K, but I plan to this weekend.

7.29.2010

The Fever

So...from time to time I get baby fever. In case you don't know what that is, some symptoms of baby fever are:
  • Random creation of baby name lists
  • compulsive roaming of the baby section in target ooing and ahing over small shirts, dresses, jeans, vests, socks,....you name it
  • Sketching out nursery designs and mentally deciding on colors, decor, rocking chairs, changing tables, etc.
  • Frequent perusing of photos on facebook of all your friend's babies under age 2 (especially cute blonde ones who live in France.)
  • Being caught up in la-la land imagining sweet little smiles, pudgy tiny toes and legs, kid hugs, white baby bonnets,
  • An overwhelming desire to have kids and have them now
I've sorta been in one of those phases because it seems everyone around me is prego. And then I think about actually having a baby. Literally...having a baby (ow). No sleep. Potty Training. Temper tantrums. Feeding it green peas and having to scrape that stuff off their chin. Diapers. being in charge of wiping their nose. Being responsible for raising a human being. a soul that will last for eternity and my impact that soul...I mean - i'm 100% human and could really mess a kid up...it's overwhelming. By that point i'm convinced baby fever is really just me being selfish and wanting attention (because prego ladies get a lot of attention) and/or I'm just bored...and those are both horrible reasons to want children

I'm hoping when the time does come and we are actually ready to take the plunge into parenthood, that some of those fears will naturally dissolve or God will give me the grace to take it all in stride. I'm sure He will. He seems to be good at the grace giving thing. :)

7.26.2010

Miscellany Monday

I've decided to give miscellany monday a try. miscellany monday is "a collection of random musings to help make interesting the mundane." Saw it on another blog that i've been reading from time to time and i'm inspired to give it a try. Maybe it will be something i continue to do in the future. :)

1.
Expensive hair.
Over the 3 years of me and Josh's marriage he has become more and more understanding of my costly hair needs. I don't know what it is, but I can shop a bargin for clothes, shoes, accessories, make-up, shampoo, and nearly every other girly necessity, however when it comes to hair cuts/colors...i don't skimp by any means. i'm too embarassed to even put in writing how much i spend on my hair. I used to have a great stylist in Columbus, OH and Anderson, IN - but for some reason i've struggled finding a good stylist here in Nashvegas. Well last weekend I got my hair cut and colored at Jon Alan salon and had an AMAZING experience. I LOVED my cut AND the highlights. Love it, that is, till I found out how much it was...and let's just say that it was even a lot by my standards. Had to dip into my camera savings fund to pay for it. (sad) I want to go back to the same stylist since it was such a great experience, but I will need to really sacrifice somewhere else to make it happen.

2.
Tractor Pull
Last post I told you all I was planning for a tractor pull with my company. Pretty much everything i had in that list of expectations happened except for a kid throwing a fit about the face painting, which is awesome. I worked my tail off the whole weekend and my feet were throbbing come Sunday. Friday I didn't actually watch any of the pull, but Saturday I got to watch for a while towards the end of the night. It was pretty entertaining. 5 engines, two wheels, one guy, pulling 60,000 lbs. vibrations so strong it shakes your chest and roars so loud your are compelled to plug your ears. Overall the whole event was a success.

3.
The Monster
Tonight I cleaned like a mad woman. My bathroom was being taken over by mold, dirt, makeup crumbs "the monster" so even though it's my only night off this whole week, i buckled down and scrubbed till sweat was running off my nose and my tub sparkled like it used to when Natalie, my old roommate, used to clean my bathroom for me. As a reward...i indulged in two of my guilty pleasures - dessert and Lady GaGa. (Actually gaga got me through the cleaning spree). now, with the scent of my apple cinnamon Woodwick candle and a bit o pledge in the air, i can relax in my haven amongst a nest of pillows with a good book.

4.
Poetry
Speaking of a good book...remember a few posts back where we got about 1o,923,400,918.001 books on poetry from the library? Well, i've been moving them about my room since then, and have maybe read two poems total. After the cleaning binge a moment ago, they now sit neatly stacked in a different corner...staring at me. Making me feel guilty. They are mocking me calling. Telling me i'm a phony for checking them out and not reading them. Robert Frost anyone?

5.
How He Loves
I'm sure all of you out there have heard the song "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan by now. The song recently spiked in popularity when David Crowder cut it and released it as a single. This song has been one of my faves for about 3 years now. On Sunday Josh and I were so exhausted from all the tractor pullin' that we decided to sleep in and just show up to church in the nick of time to teach youth group. We got there on the last song of the worship set and it was "How He Loves." Instantly, I was swept into God's presence by the words being sung and passion with which my friend Mason sang them. rocks my world every time i think about the creator of the world loving me. rocks my world every time i'm reminded that in light of His grace my regrets are small and meaningless. rocks my world every time i picture his mercy bending me and shaping me into a person of the Kingdom. rocks my world. period. Here is a video of my favorite version of the song. check it out.




Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters

7.22.2010

The One Where I'm Planning for a Tractor Pull...yup

Since starting my new Job in May, i've been in preparation for the Tractor Pull that IRON Solutions sponsors in Chapel Hill, TN.

Said Tractor Pull happens this Friday and Saturday. I've been planning vigorously for this pull, and all of our hospitality room details for the past 3 weeks+. Earlier this week I couldn't sleep cause I kept thinking of little details I didn't want to forget. Now i've gotten to the point where I'm bracing myself for some awesome-country-madness. That's the technical term.

Expecting:
Barbeque
Loud Tractor Engines
Lots of sweaty people (forecast is like 95 degrees)
Beer
Giving away tons of free t-shirts, hats, key chains, etc.
A full moon (supposed to be Friday night)
a little bit of chaos from time to time
Dirt to be caked on my person at the end of the evening
people to be amazed by the iPad we are using for data capture
at least one kid to freak-out because they didn't get what they want from the face painter
some classic coca-cola
more than one large person wearing spandex and or overalls
potentially some country music from time to time
And of course....Mulletts.

I'm getting my hair cut saturday morning. Maybe I will get a mullet to fit in on Saturday.

7.20.2010

The One Where I Panic and Act Irrationally when Something Goes Wrong

So apparently, somewhere along the way I've migrated from a capable, competent, take-charge kind of girl to one who turns on her flashers and calls 3 people when the car stops running randomly on the road.

On the way home from work, in the 1,000,001,1909824 degree heat my car just stopped running. The first thing the popped into my head was - well...guess the Saturn finally kicked the bucket. Marilyn (the car) couldn't hold her own in the scorching, mountainous back-hills of TN...and by back-hills I mean suburbia. and by scorching I mean...well...beeping hot.

After a couple of feeble attempts to try and restart the car I called Josh and in a panic said "the car broke down! The "service engine soon light" came on and it just completely shut off! I'm sitting in the middle of the road with my flashers on!! What should I do?!?!?!!!!"

The hubbies calmly said "Well, push it off to the side of the road and call Cynthia to come pick you up. I'll take a look at it when I get out to franklin."

"Oh. Ok. Gotta go, someone's coming to help me push the car"

After the nice strangers helped push Marilyn into a nearby school entrance right next to a "no parking" sign I called Cynthia. "Can you come pick me up...the car completely shut down on the way home from work...i don't know what to do..."

"Sure, where are you."

"Off liberty pike, pulled into the elementary school entrance. turn right on Mack Hatcher, then Left on Liberty. You can't miss me. Bring John Paul...we are going to need to push the car."

"cool. be there soon."

30 seconds pass...I start to panic about getting a parking ticket and attempt to push my car, by myself, up the hill, out of the no parking zone. no dice. actually rolled back down into the more dangerous, right-at-the-corner-of-the-turn zone.

Call Josh..."Babe, where are you? It's hot. I'm afraid i'm going to get a parking ticket if I leave the car here till you get home..."

"I'm 5 mins further down the road than I was when you talked to me last time"

"Oh ok...Cynthia is calling. Gotta go." Click over - "Hello"

"Hey, did you say turn left on Mack Hatcher - no right on Mack Hatcher and left on Liberty..."

"Shoot...uh...be there in a min. Gotta turn around"

Hang up the phone
Sit in my car.
Try and start it again.
Again...
Again...
Look at the gas gage.
realize Marilyn is on "E"
Realize there's a gas station about 15 feet away.
Feel dumb.
Call Josh.
Call Cynthia.

Moral of the story - next time something happens I'm going to try about 2% harder to figure it out on my own before sounding the alarm to everyone within 3 miles of me. I'm an intelligent person. I can handle things like that on my own. Sheesh.

7.19.2010

CLICK

This weekend was beautiful and completely unplanned. I was kicking myself all weekend because I didn't bring my camera to any of it...Let's pretend I did...

The spontaneity started on Friday around 2 pm when we received an e-mail from some friends that we have been wanting to hang out with to see if we wanted to go listen to some live music at a local brewery here in Franklin. We totally ditched our plans of going to costco and watching a movie at home (very 75 of us...i know) to hang with our new friends! It was so worth it!

Not only did we hear some great blues music by a man with the lowest voice i've ever heard in person, but we also got to witness him step away from the microphone and captivate an entire bar singing the sweet familiar tune "Amazing Grace" a cappella. His pipes hushed the crowd into awe. If he wasn't a large black man I would have sworn it was my Grandpapa. Then he started directing a bunch of half-buzzed-friday-night-partiers into singing a chorus with him. Strangely filled with the presence. Only in the south..."CLICK" (that's my camera taking a picture of the "choir" off the balcony at the pub).

That same night, we really had a great time chatting with our new friends till midnight over frosty IPA's and hefewiezen. I can tell Brian and Anita are good ones. "CLICK" (Picture of all of us "cheersing" and laughing heartily).

Saturday morning Josh and I had grand plans to wake up early and go on a hike...instead we slept till 10. "CLICK" (Picture of josh and I tangled in our new $15 sheets with willow nestled between us... probably licking Josh's arm trying to wake him up)

After finally peeling our eyelids back we seriously considered not leaving the bed at all. Then we thought about only leaving bed to go see the new movie Inception (Had to be part of the "in" crowd and mention that movie in my blog this week). Common sense (and our quickly growing behinds) got the better of us and we decided we should get the blood flowing and our reward would be watching a matinee of the new-all-the-rage film.

By noon we had purchased our 4:55pm tix to Inception and made it up to Radnor Lake ready for a hike. New friends Brian and Anita decided that since were didn't get up early for our hike that they would join us and while we waited for them at the Lake I discovered what might be the cutest thing ever - baby sparrows. 5 of them to be exact. Just sitting up in their little nest heads bobbing back and forth. stretching tiny wings wide. screeching and pushing each other out of the way for their chance at some chewed up snack from mom. "CLICK" (picture of 5 fluffy heads and big round glassy eyes peering out of the edge of their home)

B&A showed up. We decided on the "Strenuous" hike that was 1.9 miles long. The next 1 hr and 15 mins were so refreshing! Learning more about our new friends. Breathing in the thick muggy, TN air. Laughing at the "No Running" signs. (TN = one of the most overweight states. parks are few and far between and at one of the only parks in the area, they don't allow running...what's wrong with this picture? "CLICK" (picture of the sign)) Brian and Anita thought that was hilarious considering they are from Colorado. (Colorado = the healthiest state in the country where trails/trail running abounds.)

At one point Josh was startled by a little deer...it was really funny. "CLICK" (Picture of 6' 5" Josh with look of horror on his face) "CLICK" (Picture of the sweetest most innocent looking little Bambi chewing on a leaf)

On the way home from the hike, we had a call from our dear (not deer) friends, the Choates inviting us over for dinner. YES!

After a quick shower at home, a stop by Hobby Lobby to get some frames that we have been meaning to get for about 9.5 years and (ignoring our behinds) picking up candy and soda at wallgreens we then met Cynthia and JP at the theatre for "Inception". The movie was thoroughly enjoyed by all "CLICK" (Picture of Cynthia, JP, Josh, and Me giving two thumbs up next to an INCEPTION poster).

After the movie we were on our way to the Choates for a delicious time of food and more friends (praise God for community!). Kabobs, rice, and beans followed by creamy ice cream topped with grilled pineapple, grilled bananas, and chocolate syrup (yummy!) CLICK (Picture of Kelly flipping Kabobs on their really awesome table grill thing).

Sunday - since this post is getting long i'm going to shorten it. Church - great worship, great sermon, followed by some chinese chicken salad and crusty bread shared with MORE friends (mike and mike!) then, since we had so many boys at our house, a spontaneous rearranging of the living room was in order. Gustin came up with the final layout. "CLICK" I think it really brings more light and conversation into the room. Don't you love it? I'm inspired to redecorate! If anyone has any Red/Yellow/or really any round rug they want to donate please e-mail me!

Embrace spontaneity this week. "CLICK" (picture of me passing out cause I'm exhausted.)

7.14.2010

Sometimes...

my brain doesn't process information fast enough. I'm thinking about some spectacular revelation and trying to let it soak in...and before the thought is fully captured and filed away in the archives of my mind, I skip along to the next thought without even realizing it.

Sometime I so desperately want to feel each moment that i take mental notes of my surroundings. What does the person look like next to me? Where am i? What are they feeling? What am I really feeling...deep down? What are the emotions/heart/thought behind the words that i'm speaking. What is God trying to show me? What is He trying to...i need to stop by the post office...shoot, still need to go to the pharmacy...and i STILL need to schedule that hair appointment...oh yeah... What is He trying to mold me into through this precious moment of my life that I will never be able to relive again... "ring-ring".... phone...and on and on....

Honestly, how do deep thinkers do it. I open up my heart and mind and try and submerge my being into each moment and each revelation. I try to ponder the mysteries and meanings of life and quickly gets overwhelmed. I'm constantly wishing that I could pull out my journal while i'm sitting at my desk at work/eating in a restaurant/driving down the street to write down every little thought or it will slip away before it's in there for good to hold onto for later use.

Take for instance babies. At the moment of conception a life is started - inside another life no less (that's a whole crazy pondering in and of itself) - and then it grows. weirdly inside a uterus, of all things, for 9 months. pops out and rocks the world of everyone around. They are learning how to roll over, grab onto things, smile, hold their head up on that wobbly little neck of theirs and yet they are little souls that will live on for eternity. ETERNITY!!!! And then i start to think about eternity and what happens to all the babies who might have died before their time, unjustly. Do they go to heaven and then instantly know everything. from only knowing how to eat, sleep, cry, and poop to knowing everything!? And then my head explodes. 'nuff said.

Just a small example, of millions of subjects on which my brain capacity feels staggeringly low. Anyone else out there ever feel like this?

7.12.2010

The One Where I'm Totally in Love

My bedroom is clean. the laundry is folded. the dishes are done. cinnamon apple woodwick candle is glowing and crackling desk side despite the heat. Vivaldi filling the sound waves around me and fire-work like heat lightening flickers in the sky as rain dumps on the earth. All is well.

Tonight Josh and I took Willow (who hasn't died yet due to over-sucking of marrow out of life aka eating a giant bone 3 days ago...we think we are in the clear) on a walk at Pinkerton park. She always pulls so hard on the leash that she makes herself more tired than she would be if she just walked normally, but tonight, on top of the incessant pulling she forgot that she is very much out of shape...mostly due to me and Josh always thinking of other things we want to do than brave the tropics of TN in summer....Anyway...i Didn't start this entry to talk about willow...so moving on...

We on our walk it started to rain. not hard. just a sprinkle here or there that we could mostly avoid if we stayed under the huge tree limbs shadowing the walk. Near the end of the walk we saw a teenage couple. very obviously "in love" and trying to impress each other but being awkward and unnatural about every move they made. laughing just a little too boisterous. talking just a little too loud. racing a little too quickly to the next tree. Flattening their hair hair with their hands and limping/swaggering a few too many times. Avoiding the elephant in the room of the desire to hold hands they both felt, but neither had the courage to act upon.

It made me realize how much i miss the early days of dating Josh when exaggerated emotions were part of the daily drama of our love for one another. every little touch would send butterflies all the way through me. When we would bid farewell and kiss just a little too fast. press into each other just a little too hard. saying "goodnight" just one or two times too many filling silences. And wondering just a little too long if the other person would be the first to cave and say "I love you." Everything was exciting and new.

but on the other hand, as Tevye would say, i'm astonished that we are 3 years into our marriage and everything is so comfortable, yet things are not boring and old. We are no longer the awkward couple that tried just a little too much to make the moment special, but we embrace the fact that even normal-everyday moments are special. We get to walk slow, hold hands, stop for a sweet kiss in the drizzling rain, and relish in the quite moments where few word are said. when we do talk it's mature conversation about our dreams and passions and actually make plans to live them out together. Our lives and souls intertwined...forever. And as icing on the cake, we are lucky enough that we still, not every time, but from time to time, get butterflies when we touch.

it's beyond good. I'm so happy to have him.

7.10.2010

Pure Poetry


I'm inspired. This morning as part of our anniversary week of fun, Josh and I attended a poetry writing class. Actually we woke up late, threw on some clothes, did our pre-class assignment in the car on the way over, stopped at Panera for coffee even though the clock was ticking away
When we pulled up to the library i felt that "late-for-class-barely-did-the-assignment-hope-the-teacher-doesn't-yell-at-me" drop in my stomach.

Upon entering the quite-mouse library Josh and I peeked threw the window of what was surely the poetry class...filled with old ladies, one 9 year old and a 20 something sporting an artsy hat, 10 mins deep in conversation. But, since there was a giant video camera at the back of the room tracking every flinch, twitch, creek of a door, and late-comer, we thought we would ask the front desk to be sure. While waiting for help, I swear we almost ditched...we almost ran out of the library with our late-tails between our legs. Everyone esle in there clearly took it much more seriously that we did...including the 8 year old...or was it 9?

Once our fears were confirmed at the front desk we took the plunge into the class of 70 year old women literally tip-toeing into the seats at the back so we didn't make a commotion for the giant tri-pod-camera. I'm so glad we did. It was fabulous. The woman teaching the class I swear stepped out of the dictionary under the word "poet." We learned about diction, metaphors, alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm. I learned that a good poem, just like any other good piece of fine art, is one that a person gets lost in, not necessarily one that follows form. You aren't distracted by a good poems words or phrasing, but rather sucked into the world the words created without noticing it even happened...without being "punched," as the oldest women in the class wearing a green and white stripped dress, cotton ball hair, and brown hospital shoes stated. She seemed like she knew what she was talking about. I believe her.

Afterwards, josh and I got all syked and checked out approximately 38,203,172 books on poetry from the library


Ok, Ok...it was only like 11. One of Josh's choices....
In case you can't read that it's titled "Poetry for Guys who Thought they Hated Poetry". He is so cute.

After that we ventured to the magical place where dreams come true....also known as Target for a new pair of sun glasses. I caved and bought the same pair of glasses I bought at the beginning of the summer that broke already. They work for me. Even though they are cheap, frail, and poorly made. I rock them out. As an added bonus I got 4 pairs of 4th of July socks from the dollar aisle only they were...get this...75% off! Can we say Quarter Socks anyone?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!

We then frequented Bed Bath and Beyond in search of the ever elusive California King blanket...hopefully in green. Scouring the shelves and pushing Queen/Full/King bags aside...we found one. It was $179. No amount of 20% off coupons can justify that for me. We promptly left empty handed....headed to Ross's which landed us with this....



YES! One green blanket, a pair of Cal King sheets, 3 purple pillows, a phenomenal swirly green pillow, and a cute domestic apron later we left Ross for a fraction of the BB&B blanket cost.

Oh and we ate at my increasingly favorite restaurant for lunch.
The Greek Cafe. I have a feeling i'm going to end up being a regular at this place. I need to be careful because I can't leave there without getting a baklava.

Last but not least...i won two games in a row of Clue tonight. Double Yesss!

I'm on the worship team tomorrow morning. We are singing "Here is Love" one of my favorite songs of all time. I tried to find a sample of it online, but I can't. So you should just buy it on iTunes. Here is Love by Bethel Live. You can buy the whole album or just the song. It will rock your world. I'm telling you. just buy it. now. Anyway....It's been a while since we have been at church and my heart is expectant for tomorrow.

7.09.2010

Sucking on the Bones

I love the weekend. It is so full of delicious possibilities of lounging around by the pool till the lighting-bugs or our growling tummies send us inside or packing it full of wall to wall activities that leave us crashing in bed early on Sunday for some hulu zoning.The entire week seems to build with pressing anticipation of Friday.

Each day Josh and I find ourselves conspiring on what we will do in the coming weekend. Since our anniversary was on Tuesday we declared this week "anniversary week." (we tend to stretch our birthdays, anniversaries, and pretty much every holiday to the point of obnoxiousness around here).

All week we weighed the options of what to do Friday night: dress up and devour a decadent 4,000 calorie meal at Cheesecake Factory followed by going to an overpriced movie in green hills (in-spite of my bitternesstoward movie prices being so high, seeing a flick on the big screen is still one of my FAVORITE THINGS TO DO. EVER!) or picking up take-out Chinese and renting a $1 redbox to fall asleep to.

Let's just say we came up with something much better thanks to our resident chef/Dr. extraordinaire - my older sister Cynthia. She (miraculously) had the day off and suggested she make us dinner. And can I just say....oh. my. word. YUMMY!

Garlic spare ribs+corn+roasted red potatoes+crusty bread+sangiovese = can-this-get-any-better-i-think-not.

Oh wait...it can because we got to use this new serving bowl i got for free thanks to Grandma Michael's basement of treasures!

I've been wanting my mom's garlic spare ribs for 3 years now and never had the guts to try and make them (For some reason cooking ribs frightens me. I'm okay with eating them....but having to see the bones/meat in another...non cooked...form...gives me the heebies.)

Follow that exquisite meal with two of my favorite activities: Baking (carmel glazed pear cake made by yours truly. look out betty crocker!) and a Chris Farley movie and you've got yourself (excuse my french) a pretty kick ass Friday evening.

Tomorrow - adventures abound. poetry class at the library with josh at 10 am (not sure if it will feel like school or be exciting and creative) followed by a hike to get the blood flowing, a picnic and then who knows what the tasty treats the rest of the menu will hold!

I'm feeling really super blessed and really super in love with all the people I get to spend life with. Thank you Jesus for everything that you have showered me with, my husband, my family, my job, my super cute dog (who we hope survives the night because she ate 1/2 a spare rib bone...no kidding it was like 2 inches long and we are really concerned for her saftey...), our cute/cozy condo, and most of all your Holy Spirit. I truly feel like in the last 2 weeks i've gone through some sort of life awakening where I'm seeing all that he has poured out on me with fresh eyes. I'm so happy. I'm realizing that life is a gift. You only get one and this one...this glorious, precious, messy, exciting life..is is mine and I'm going to, as Thoreau once said, "suck the marrow" out of each and every bone...and hopefully survive the night. :)


7.06.2010

Our Day


Long weird post warning...this is for me...and for Josh.

Wedding Day
A rush of excitement rather than the usual haze as my alarm buzzed
Waking surrounded by friends and family
Spending some much needed one on one time as we ran last minute err
ands the morning of.
The buzz of energy in our house as 11 women primped, curled, brushed, applied, spritzed, clasped, tied and more in anticipation for our special day
Slipping into my wedding gown while my some of the dearest people to me criss-crossed the corset with speed.
a gasp.
a silence.
a rushing for the tide-to-go pen
a sigh of relief as the blood stain on my perfect white gown from a torn hang nail is repaired
Checking off the something old and something borrowed as I placed my Mam-Mam's engagement ring on my right finger.
Applying the lip stick and one final look in the mirror for my first meeting with Josh
the look on his face when he opened the door. Surprise. Happiness. Joy.
The sweet gentle hug from his big manly arms. Careful not to mess up the hours of preparation spent for this moment
a kiss.
a gaze into his eyes.
a snapping of the camera lens over and over.
Hustling for posed pictures with every combination of family, friends, bridesmaids, sisters, in-laws, ushers, groomsman that you can imagine
the brilliant hot sun changing our plans and forcing us inside for pictures
cheering OH-IO and ILL-INI back and forth with the bridal party creating some of the best pictures of the day.
Trying to decipher how to sign and what to do with the marriage license
keeping my cool.
until i'm alone in the back hall.
waiting for my dad.
hearing the processional music start.
Peaking through the crack in the side door to see if I can see what cherished friends arrived to celebrate us.
Papa telling me he get's 40 feet left with me and making me cry.
Beginning the march.
Seeing my Beloved's ear to ear grin as I stride.
slowly.
carefully.
looking for familiar eyes in the flood of faces surrounding me.
feeling special to the one-millionth degree.
feeling love.
Stopping at the end of aisle.
Papa "forgetting" his line.
Making up for it and then lifting my veil to kiss my cheek.
Taking josh's huge hand and not being able to stop smiling or laughing or loving. Deeply loving.
Feeling so happy that Josh's sister invited the Holy Spirit to our wedding.
Not really comprehending the words of wisdom and prophecy Andrea spoke over our lives but very thankful for the videographer - sis-in-law jo-jo.
Knowing that everyone that ever mattered to me gathered around to fill that Friday evening with jubilation.
Feeling relief and happiness when we exited the sanctuary. Kissing Josh in the lobby before anyone else came out.
Embracing bridal party
Ducking under glittering sparkers and jumping in the convertible.
Realizing how thirsty we both were and rushing directly to a Wendy's for a drink and realizing we didn't have any money with us.
Going through the drive through and telling them we just got married and were thirsty.
Strangers jumping out of their cars snapping pictures of us at every red light.
The Party. Oh the party.
It was as if someone bottled all the merriment in the world and poured it out on that cozy venue decorated with white lights.
The 4 tier pound-cake with yellow roses in between each layer.
Pressing too hard to cut the "cake" that really ended up being the card board layer holding the cake together.
Finally softly feeding one another a piece of bliss in the form of a 4-tier-pound-cake with cream cheese icing.
dancing with my head resting comfortably on his tall broad shoulders to Fields of Gold.
Feeling safe.
Laughing...a lot.
Aaron catching the garter.
The dollar dance.
My dad full of happiness like i've never seen before.
Stu-Bombs.
Uncle Dale being the best MC ever.
Everyone.dancing....till we couldn't stand it any more.
Uncle Paul and Aunt eileen winning the longest married couple dance.
Hugging my mama good by realizing that it went by WAY to fast.
My dad following us out to the car and shouting "Take Care of Yourself" after us as we drove away into the dark in the EPHEZ mobile.
and knowing that I get to spend the rest. of. my. life. with the most caring, gentle, thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, smart, strong, handsome, passionate, red-headed man in the world.

7.01.2010

A Good Thursday

Things about today that were splendid.

Got out of the office and visited Chapel Hill, TN - the Location for the South East's biggest Tractor super pull event. On July 23rd and 24th my company is the main sponsor for this event and I went to scope out the location. It was amazing for many different reasons.
  1. I got to drive through the back winding roads on the lovely country side of middle tennessee. Every time I do this I feel more and more that TN is my home. I'm not sure why since I didn't grow up in rural america, but for some reason the lush rolling green hills and random gas stations, tractors, and goats on the side of the road make my heart full.
  2. On the long drive to Chapel Hill I got to know one of my awesome new co-workers, Jennifer. She is really sweet. It was fun to have sometime to just chat in the car. It's amazing what 2 hrs of just driving will do to get people to open up to one another. Good conversation.
  3. When we got to the pull site we were met by 3 very country, very kind older gentlemen from the Chapel Hill Lion's Club. They showed us the entire are and basically told me I could do anything I want during the event. (can we say t-shirt shooting into the crowd?!). Side bar - i'm really looking forward to this event. Hopefully, I will have some good pictures and memories to post on here later.
  4. Enjoying a platter full of chicken, lamb, rice, and greek salad. washed down with a DC (diet coke, of course) and topped off with possibly my favorite dessert of all time - Baklava.
Being super productive at work this afternoon. Always makes me feel good. It's nice to check things off the "to do" list.

coming home to find out that Willow had gotten up on the table and eaten about a 1/2 a bag of cherries...ok I lied - that wasn't one of the splendid parts of my day. in fact, I think we will all be paying for that one over the next couple of days...and literally as I was typing that she just threw up on my bed. going to clean it up......gross...i can't be mad. she it too cute. poor willow....

discovering the new template designs on blogger. Just spent about an hour of time browsing through the captivating nature photos, funky designs, and charming patterns. I should have been doing something else productive. I'm not even sure I like the one I picked that much. only time will tell.

last but not least, I really enjoyed the bagel my husband got for me for breakfast this morning. Asiago cheese from Panera with veggie cream cheese. yummy. :)

We are headed to STL with Josh's family this weekend for 4th of July. Lots of fun things to report from that when we are back, i'm sure. Also, in big news - next Tuesday is our 3rd anniversary! Can't believe it. Love him more and more every day. :)