Made in China

Weekend Away in Abq

2012-02-12T20:27:00.006-07:00

Our view from the top of the Sandia Tram.

Seth & I drove back in through icy roads and a snowstorm about five hours ago. We came back to a house that was a frigid 47 degrees! Anywho, on to the point of this. Our weekend in Albuquerque was lovely. Lots of delicious meals, fun outings and a little shopping made for a fun weekend. Oh! and we had the luxury of TV in our hotel room. Fantastic.

This door was in Old Town, where we had a fantastic lunch at Le Crepe Michel. Unfortunately my camera card went on the fritz so the pictures of us there, and of my french onion soup and ruby peach & lavender creme brulee are MIA.

The best meal from the whole trip. My croque madame from The Grove Cafe. I wished we had eaten there on Saturday morning too so we could have eaten there more than once.

Us. Windblown on top of the Sandia Tram.

Why I can spell Albuquerque

2012-02-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

We're heading there today! And all the googling really got annoying until I learned how to spell it. Until next week...

Observation Tuesday: Volume 15 (on Wednesday)

2012-02-08T10:56:00.002-07:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but life got away with me.

1) I have a love/hate relationship with my taxes. All the w-2s and standard vs. itemized deductions and ROTH contributions mess with my head. But the whole refund thing makes up for it.

(source: http://npr.tumblr.com/post/17162203126/nprfreshair-menuanxiety-via-t-rex)

2) I'm currently working up the energy to do some yoga. But want a laugh? check out T-Rex Trying.source (http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004859.php)

3) I recently learned to Settle Catan. I don't hate it as much as I hated it the first time I learned to play but I still haven't won...so we'll see.

Wedding Scrapping

2012-02-02T14:35:00.007-07:00

I've had "organize wedding memorabilia" on my to do list for about 6 months now. I had all these cards, papers, invites leftover from our big day that I wanted to save somehow.

Since Christmas this is about the only crafty thing I've done so far, but I'm pretty happy with it.

I mostly kept cards I either a) liked or b) had sentimental value. I also threw in our invitation, the words to the song my cousin played in the wedding (that he used and gave to use), my dad's outline for the service and our program with the crossword puzzle.

Now, to understand this last one, you must know the movie Hot Rod. My husband loves it, as does one of the guys that was our groomsmen. The whole "have fun being married to SATAN!" is a direct quote.

I got completely sappy reminiscing about the events surrounding our wedding and how many fantastic people were around us for our big day. Being married is totally the best and I'm so glad our wedding was the best too.

Birthday: Knox style.

2012-01-31T16:29:00.006-07:00

What, this old thing? I made it.

Birthdays are pretty awesome in my mind. One day a year a person gets everything their way. This past Friday/Saturday we celebrated my husband. His day included a new kindle, surprise balloons at his school, and a chipotle/movie/ice cream/telephone pictionary party with friends.

The next morning he got french toast breakfast in bed (a family tradition, which is one of my favorites). I would have included the picture of him but there was too much armpit hair for the internet.

My parents have this set of dishes which is the "celebration set" which we use for all breakfasts in bed. I figured we'd carry that on, so the birthday plate (which you can't really see) was a gift from my bff she had handmade for us.

A Public Declaration of How Awesome My Husband Is On His Birthday

2012-01-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today my husband is turning 24. And I would like to take the opportunity to share with you just a few of the reasons is awesome.

He fired me from doing dishes. I may not use the most sanitary tactics and upon seeing me do this he simply fired me. Awesome.
Speaking of the kitchen, scrambled eggs are his forte! they're the best when he makes them
He eats all of the stuff I make him, even when I put green bell peppers in it....
Seth is always up for adventure i.e. our first backpacking trip together, camping, water gun fights with friends, new restaurants!
He tolerates me, even when I'm exhausted after work or prancing around the house in my tights.
Family is incredibly important to him, both his family and my family.

He is willing to do all the driving.
Bottom line, he's incredibly attractive.
He's super tall. I can put anything is any cabinets in our house and I don't need any sort of stool or ladder!
He is definitely the leader of the marriage. I come up with the crazy ideas, but he okays them.

To you today, Seth, Happy Happy Birthday! I hope this is the first of many I get to spend as your wife!

Carrot Cake or I'll take any excuse to use cream cheese icing

2012-01-23T15:54:00.001-07:00

When one pictures carrot cake don't you think of those crazy little pieces at the grocery store with the tiny frosting carrot on top. That stuff is gross. I honestly had no idea I liked carrot cake until college when my cousin made this recipe.

Here it goes:
1) Mix 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp salt
2) Add 4 eggs, 1/4 cup oil and 1 tsp vanilla
3) Stir in 3 cups of shredded carrots
4) Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees in greased 9x13 pan

Finally:
5) Blend 1/4 cup softened butter, 4 (give or take, I add more usually) oz softened cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, about 2 cups of confectioners sugar. Spread on top. and then lick the spatula and bowl.

I would have taken a picture of a piece of the cake but I had to bring it, intact, to our small group to share. :)

Homemade Corn Dogs

2012-01-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

So this one time, I made corn dogs. Baked, not fried. I have a fear of frying things in my house, the splattering and hot grease and what not. Baked it is. The other thing is, I didn't buy skewers.

Here is the recipe I used: Homemade Baked Corn Dogs

Neck Fat, Cancer & Whales: Book Reviews

2012-01-19T14:45:00.004-07:00

I've been a reading machine.

I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

I love Nora's movies. In fact I just got When Harry Met Sally and made my husband watch it. My mom had read this book awhile ago and said it was pretty funny so I thought I'd pick it up. Ephron expounds on being a middle aged woman, hating her neck and about how she hosts. I did chuckle out loud a few times but overall think I would think it would have been funnier if I were 45.

When God and Cancer Meet by Lynn Eib

Lynn is herself a colon cancer survivor and she writes about other cancer patients and how they encounter God in the midst of their struggles. I thought it would mostly be stories about people, but it was more of a guide for cancer patients on how to seek God. Unless you have cancer, or are an oncology nurse I don't really recommend just picking this one up for fun. It did give me a good perspective on how to interact with my patients though.

Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

I've read a few other books by Picoult and enjoyed them. In this book she chronicles the journey of a woman who leaves her husband, drives across country and hangs out with her brother at an apple orchard where he works. Her daughter comes along for the ride and her husband, a prominent whale scientist, follows them. The story line isn't the most compelling, but it was a quick read and I finished it in 3 days.

Life in cell phone pictures

2012-01-14T06:49:00.002-07:00

I haven't been taking many real life pictures, so here are some from my cell phone camera.

Worst product name ever? I think so

This is how my family eats popcorn at the movies.
We smuggle it in my large purse. We also had root beer

Don't worry, I was at a stop light.
This sticker says "support zombies".

Adventure, laughter and happiness: book reviews

2012-01-10T06:58:00.004-07:00

I may be cheating a little bit with this edition of the books I've read for 2012. 2 of these I started in 2011, but finished in 2012. If I make my goal of 25 books without counting these cool, if not, I'm counting them. Besides, this is my goal, not yours.

1) Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered by Tim Cahill

Cahill is a Montana based travel writer. His stories range from poignant tales of death in the Amazon to hilarious quips about his lack of ability to kayak. I liked this because I could read it when I was in between other books. So you should read it.

2) Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Gilbert is a psychology professor at Harvard. I picked it up after buying in on Amazon on a whim and thought I would be totally overwhelmed, but was pleasantly surprised. Gilbert discusses why we as humans fail to have enough foresight to do today what will make us happy in the future. He uses a lot of references to research studies, some of his own included, and as somewhat of a research nerd I totally appreciated that. He is also hilarious, so I liked that too. Again, I recommend it.

3) Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Let me start off by confessing I read this in 2 days and embarrassed myself several times in Starbucks because I was laughing out loud. Kaling is both an actress and writer for The Office. She basically writes about her life in a really hilarious, pseudo-self-depricating way. She takes about not peaking in high school, her play Matt & Ben (in which she and her bff dress up like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), and BFF and Man Rules among other things. I already sent this to my best friend to read, so obviously I recommend it.

2012

2012-01-04T11:52:00.003-07:00

I think I've just now had some time to realize we are in a new year. Last year I had some major changes in my life and this year may be no different. I spent some time this morning reflecting on where I'd like to be by the end of this year and here are some goals I've come up with to get me there.

o Read 25 books (8 of which are fiction)

o Work out most days a week for 1 hour each day, do yoga once a week

o Evaluate purchases before I make them

o Successfully grow an herb

o Watch less than an hour of TV a day & spend more time outside

o Volunteer

o Devote myself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

o Figure out what it means to invest in relationships

o National Chemo Certification course

o Apply for grad school by 2012

I have more, which I don't feel like sharing, but these are some of them. Also, not all of these goals are well written (they don't have a time line, or aren't specific enough). oh well. Now here's to a new year!

2011

2012-01-03T08:35:00.002-07:00

A look back at my goals/year:

1) Get married! - DONE. Best day of my life.
2) Refinish 5 pieces of furniture - Not done, at all. I did 1 though.
3) Get chemotherapy certified at work - DONE
4) Join the local Oncology Nursing Society chapter - DONE & I joined the national ONS
5) Give more random gifts - Sort of done, I can think of a few I gave randomly.
6) Embroider some stuff - DONE (a pillowcase & handkerchiefs for my bridesmaids)
7) Move into my first place with my husband and make it our home - DONE
8) Make some new traditions for our family and continue old ones - Sort of done
9) Travel to Cancun (helllooo honeymoon!) - DONE
10) Read 24 books (12 for fun, 12 to better myself) & write them down! (since i have a terrible memory) - 17 for fun (i.e. fiction) & 8 non-fiction = 24 total, 1/2 success. I'll count it .
11) Start saving for retirement and possibly going back to school - DONE.
12) Take more pictures - DONE?
13) Get involved in a church in TX - DONE, we're Members at Redeemer Lubbock, co-leading a gospel community & have made good friends
14) Keep my blog updated with things I'm doing- DONE

I also oriented people at work, traveled to San Antonio, Austin & Fort Worth, knitted some, did other random crafts, camped & backpacked with my husband for the first time, cooked a bunch, made some really good friends & was generally very happy with my life.

If I wasn't super lazy & on vacation, I would make you links to the blog posts related to these, but lets be honest, you've already read those (hi, Mom!).

5 Minute Christmas Crafts

2011-12-28T15:00:00.004-07:00

Also, I realize the title is related to "Christmas" which has now passed, sorry.

I had a revelation the other day. I am averse to crafts which take more than 5 minutes to make. Five minutes may be a little bit of an under exaggeration, but not by much. To give you an idea, I thought I'd highlight my latest craft projects for you.

Stocking Ornament
tutorial from Bundles of Love
Embarrassing confession, this was supposed to be a baby bootie, but clearly that wouldn't work. And it took me like 45 minutes, because I had to rip out a bunch of it half way through. Good thing I didn't have to make a second one because that would have way surpassed my time limit.

Wreath

Inspiration from this Pinterest picture (note that I just didn't even bother spray painting it)
My grandma gave me the wreath, I bought the K at Michael's for $2.99, and proceeded to hot glue the eucalyptus, berries and letter on. That fiasco took several tries. Then I tied on the bow. DONE. Total time: probably 13 minutes

Button Wreath Ornament
tutorial from Martha.
This is actually pretty special because I made one for my mom, my sister and I from the buttons my grandma had. (Surprise, Trish!) This one took about half an hour, but I was watching 30 Rock and the button sorting took the longest. And when I dropped all the buttons of the wire...

Christmas!

2011-12-28T07:20:00.003-07:00

This Christmas was pretty low key. Unfortunately with my work schedule I couldn't get enough time off to go home this year (seriously, can't the sick people get their own meds? just kidding...) so we hung out here in Lubbock. We spent Christmas Eve with the grandparents and watched The Muppet's Christmas Carol (it's tradition).

This is what our Christmas breakfast looked like:

(homemade egg nog, fruit soup - not as good as mom's, bacon, and kuchen - not as good as dad's)

Outside Christmas morning looked like this:

(I haven't had a white Christmas since I was 11, so that was a fun treat)

And we looked like this:

We also went to Church, skyped my parents to open presents, had lunch with some friends, danced to Michael Jackson on the Wii, watched the Holiday, and had virtual play time with my nephew in Australia! and bonus, I was cancelled at work. All in all it was a great day. Now we're looking forward to Christmas in Montana 2012

San Antonio

2011-12-20T07:48:00.005-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our trip to San Antonio

On the Riverwalk

Out to Mexican food with the fam

One of the highlights of the trip:
a 3 lb cinnamon roll from Lulu's Bakery
definitely worth the $8.49

My Career as a Sports Photographer

2011-12-19T11:10:00.007-07:00

I spent this past weekend in San Antonio with my in-laws gallavanting about town and watching my brother-in-law swim. It was a meet his school, University of the Incarnate Word, sponsored. I figure I need practice for when our future kids are in swimming, so I volunteered to take some pictures. Needless to say I think these pictures also win me "creepiest sister-in-law of the year" award.

I've got lots more to share including some recipes, crafts and more pictures of our trips....I just have to get through the next few days of work...

what the?

2011-12-05T11:03:00.003-07:00

What I woke up to...

7 Reasons I know I'm cool

2011-12-03T05:57:00.002-07:00

You decide which are sarcastic.

1) I dreamt I went back to the future with Marty McFly in the DeLorean from Seth's grandparents' farm in Texas, but they hadn't figured out the flux capacator fully yet, so it was short lived.
2) I spent my Friday night grocery shopping and baking
3) All of the Christmas presents I've bought so far are wrapped and under the tree
4) I made stew last night involving a whole bottle of wine. Recipe here. You're welcome
5) It is impossible for me to get a bundt cake out of the pan without half of the crust breaking off
6) I've watched this video several times now. To save you clicking on the link I'll just tell you, it's a baby that is only soothed by a Notorious B.I.G. song
7) I've got dough in the works for making breakfast pizza today!

Books!

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
by Alexandra Fuller

Honestly, I picked this up from the library because I was intrigued by the title. This is the memoir Alexandra wrote about her mother Nicola, living in Africa in the middle of the century. I'll let Indie Bound sum it up

"A story of survival and madness, love and war, loyalty and forgiveness, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is an intimate exploration of the author's family. In the end we find Nicola and Tim at a coffee table under their Tree of Forgetfulness on the banana and fish farm where they plan to spend their final days. In local custom, the Tree of Forgetfulness is where villagers meet to resolve disputes and it is here that the Fullers at last find an African kind of peace. Following the ghosts and dreams of memory, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Alexandra Fuller at her very best."

It didn't draw me in immediately, but by the end I felt like I just wanted to be friends with her crazy mom to hear about their lives in Africa from her personally.

The Lacuna
by Barbara Kingsolver

My obsession continues. In this novel she writes about Harrison W. Shepard, an author growing up in the midst of the war and Red Scare in Mexico and the States. Most of it is written from his perspective in journal form, with newspaper clippings thrown in. At one point the Shepard even works for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and Lev Trotsky. I wasn't completely enthralled from the beginning but Kingsolver pulls through and I read the last 200 pages in 2 days over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I'm out of her non-fiction to read now I think so I'm going to have to find some of her essays and fiction to read now.

Egg Nog

2011-11-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

A few Christmases ago my mom gave me a recipe box with handwritten family recipes. It's probably my favorite gift I've ever gotten. Anyways, a few days ago I busted out the egg nog recipe from my grandma to make it for our tree decorating. It's tradition, just like listening to the Amy Grant Christmas Album.

Beat 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Add to 3 cups warm milk. Heat until it goes the back of a wooden spoon, stirring constantly. Now, if you live where its cold, you can put it outside in the snow. Otherwise, put it in the fridge until cool.

Before serving, beat 3 egg yolks and pinch of salt until stiff. Then mix in 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. This is when I totally appreciate my stand mixer because you can just turn it on and walk away (to take pictures)

Stir in egg yolks to the milk mixture using a whisk. Now depending on how thick you like the mixture you can either just slightly mix it in or use a mixer to mix it a little better.

Top with nutmeg and enjoy :)

It's Here!

2011-11-28T20:16:00.003-07:00

My favorite time of the year!

Day of Turkeys

2011-11-27T21:09:00.003-07:00

Oh what a relaxing weekend we had. I finished a book, knitted a failed baby bootie, ate a lot, watched the Muppets (which is SO GOOD) and slept mucho. How wonderful.

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving. It mostly represents the beginning of the Christmas season for me. But I do love the food, the Macy's day parade and spending time with some of my favorite people. To help myself reflect I decided to write about things I am thankful for today, in list/picture form.

0) God. He is inherently a part of and the cause for all of these.

1) My husband. I'm thankful we're married. I'm also thankful he'll spend all Saturday cleaning with me, then yell at me for wearing my dirty socks on our clean floors. I'm thankful for the ways he challenges me and cares for me and loves me. I'm one lucky girl.
2) My family. Particularly my nephew, who is awesome. I'm thankful for my parents who are more adventurous than I am and show me you should always go for your dreams. And my sister and brother in law who love me deeply and give generously. You cannot get any better. 2b) My new family! I am beyond blessed with such fantastic in-laws, from super fun new sibs, to amazing grandparents and a lovely mother and father-in-law. God is good.
3) Friends, new and old. It is so good to know you have the best friends in the world, who despite thousands of miles, still respond to my ridiculous emails about Ryan Gosling, know what to say when I'm in spiritual crisis, and are in general amazing people.
And new friends who do crazy stuff with you, including braving harsh winds, sleeping in the same tent and playing Tiddlywinks.
4) Traveling. I love that I'm a plane ride away from new experiences and I was blessed to get to go to some sweet places this past year (including AZ, Cancun, and more places in TX)!

5) My house. Which means a place to cook, do crafts, sleep, spend time with friends and laze around. This rental will always be the first place I lived with my husband and I genuinely love it. And now, things that don't need explanation/pictures
6) Good books
7) That I have a job
8) My health
9) Shows like Parks & Rec and Modern Family
10) My mattress. I love it.
11) Pictures
12) Camping
13) Online banking
14) Cranberry Banana bread
15) New clothes
16) Laughter.
17) you!

Bottom line here, I'm crazy blessed.

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-11-20T21:53:00.006-07:00

Lets be honest, I'm sure you've got tons of extra time and lack of ideas for things to bake/make today, right? I mean, its not like there is a holiday completely based on eating delicious things soon... haha just kidding. But I did want to share these super delicious homemade granola bars I made because I just uploaded the pictures.

I modified this recipe from Smitten Kitchen (which is a superb website, btw).

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (I took whole flaxseed and used by coffee bean grinder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (I chose sunflower seeds, dried granberries, golden raisins and regular raisins)
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey

**differences from the original - I added more regular oats and used flaxseed and wheat germ instead of oat flour. I also used brown sugar instead of regular sugar.
To start I just dumped all the ingredients together in a bowl in whatever order I happened to grab things in and mixed away with a wooden spoon. The original recipe calls for dry vs wet ingredient mixing, I just skipped that.

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and dump the mixture in. and press it so its even. Now, I turned on my oven to 350 since I forgot to preheat it. I baked mine for 30 minutes since I think my oven is a little hot-tempered. Just got for a little brown on top. Then they'll look like this:

Super delicious looking. Now I let mine cool in the pan all the way, pull out the parchment paper and cut into bars. I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and enjoyed them all week long!

Happy Day

2011-11-20T10:59:00.002-07:00

Granted this day was several weeks ago, but look what I got in the mail!

Our wedding album! Hooray! The amazing Kimberly Jarman took our pictures and as part of our package I color corrected our images so I have all 1,024 images on my hard drive. I actually used a Groupon for My Pic Tales to make it. There's something about holding the book that tells the story of our day that makes me incredibly happy.

Embarrassing

2011-11-18T10:30:00.002-07:00

Today, after a long 13 hours at work I stayed up until 9 am (okay, it's now 11:31 but that's not the point) to watch the Farewell Regis show. I have had a mild love affair with the Live with Regis and Kelly ever since I graduated college and didn't have a job and had time to watch daytime TV. They're hilarious and charming and entertaining. Well, today was Regis Philbin's last day on the show.

Since we don't have TV channels because our TV is old and has no digital converter box and, no, we can't get one to work, I had to go to the gym to watch it. I elipiticized for 45 minutes and walked on the treadmil for 20 in order to watch the final show. The embarrassing part is I may have cried a little during the show...at the gym....in public...

don't judge me.

P.S. In order to stay up til 9 I took a detour to Target to return something and ended up buying a $7 purse, Christmas lights and some deodorant....this is real life folks.

PackBacking

2011-11-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Seth and I went with a few friends to Guadalupe Forest National Park and backpacked at McKittrick Canyon. It was Seth's first trip and my first trip without my family (which meant I had to carry more than a day pack).

The first night we just camped on some bureau of land management land, woke up and headed into the park to get our backcountry passes. It was a 7.5 mile hike in, the first 3 miles were through the canyon and gorgeous with their fall leaves. The last part was a 2500 foot elevation gain with some fierce winds. Thankfully my loving husband was there to hold my hand for the scary parts. That night we spent 13 hours in our tent only venturing out to cook, pee and hook our rain fly back on. Thankfully the next morning was much nicer.

Making breakfast burritos, fried spam and hot chocolate for breakfast.

The view into the canyon on the second day.

After we were done! Sorry about the poor framing due to my lack of self-timer skills.

Confessions of a Wanna-be-Hippie: Part II

2011-11-11T13:03:00.003-07:00

I listen to the Joy the Baker Podcast from Homefries.com. Its pretty fantastic.

One of their episodes was about hippie-ness. They talked about home beauty remedies including using coconut oil for conditioner and using baking soda for shampoo. I went home and promptly used it as well. It makes your hair super squeaky clean. Literally, squeaky.

Bottom line of this story is I've only done it once. I'm not hooked yet, but may try it again.

Confessions of a Wanna-be-Hippie

2011-10-27T12:10:00.004-07:00

(source)

My three best friends from college and I have been emailing back and forth about starting a cohort farming system in Virginia. This stems from our secret desire to be hippies, live off the land, get out of the rat race, grow our own food and let our (future) children run around the compound naked. I also want dreads, but that's another story. This blog happens to be about my hippie-issue with incense.

Anyways, on our honeymoon our resort left us incense in our bathroom. I know, super romantic. We used it and liked it, the candlewood smell and all. Right after we moved to Lubbock Seth bought me some "earth" scented incense on a run to Target (the mecca of hippie goods...ha ha), unfortunately, I didn't have an incense holder. Until this morning the sticks have simply been smelling up my cupboards. This morning I happened to find an incense holder at the grocery for $1.29. I camp home and promptly set up my incense, even before I put the chicken breasts in the freezer. Well, the issue started when I accidentally blew the ash on to my tablecloth. Then, I tried to wipe it off onto my hand, which just proceeded to rub the ash into the tablecloth. Now I just have to wash the tablecloth, which doesn't seem like a very hippie thing to do. Maybe next time I'll get it right.

On my next "confessions" blog post I'll talk about my latest green hair washing adventure.

Camping

2011-10-24T05:45:00.008-07:00

We went camping this past weekend at Caprock State Canyon. It was really refreshing to get away from town even if it was just for a night. Enjoy these photografias.

Things I love: morning rounds

2011-10-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

This post maybe should be dedicated to how much I love Sprouts! Really, their produce cannot be beat (at least around here), their bulk spice section is the new love of my life and its the only place I can get everything bars. (I don't know what they're actually called but they taste like peanut butter and are awesome).

Last week I got a coupon in my inbox for FREE Ozery Morning Rounds. (Another reason I love sprouts - coupons for free stuff). Anywho, this last Monday after I got done locking my keys in my car at the gym after work and having to call my roadside assistance so they would come unlock my car an hour later I decided to pick mine Morning Rounds up and I may have just fallen in love with them. They're like a pita, sort of, but with no pocket, and they're smaller and fatter, but not by much. Weird description, but I thoroughly enjoy them. This particular kind is cranberry, but they also had an apple spice option. I've eaten them just toasted with no topping so far, but I'm thinking a little apricot preserves would be delicious. yummo

Bites!

2011-10-19T01:00:00.001-07:00

I was inspired last week and made some pretzel bites. Taken from Pennies on a Platter.

Salted Pretzel Bites

Yield: 48 bites

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
6 cups water
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 Tablespoons coarse salt

1) Combine the yeast, 1 tsp brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Set aside until foamy, 5-8 minutes. In another bowl, stir together the remaining 2 Tbsp brown sugar and warm milk until dissolved.

2) Add 2 1/2 cups flour and milk mixture to the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Add the remaining flour as needed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times, forming a smooth ball.

3) Brush the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size and bubbles appear on the surface.

4) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour. Roll one of the four sections into a 12-inch rope. Cut into 12 1 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining 3 portions of the dough.

5) Let rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Again, if using instant yeast you may choose to skip this step as it only requires one rise.) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400˚F.

6) Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Boil pretzels in batches, cooking about 20 seconds each, turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheets. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes.

7) Brush warm pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. Eat 5 immediately.

Delicious autumn

2011-10-18T14:58:00.004-07:00

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

Today my delicious autumn involved pumpkin biscotti and homemade chai. Yesterday I got a craving for anything pumpkin so I looked up about eight or so recipes and bought a few cans at the grocery story, so that's how the pumpkin biscotti came about. And my sister made this chai sometime ago and said it was delicious and now I may be hooked.

Geek Out

2011-10-13T07:08:00.002-07:00

My day so far:
Woke up at 5:30!
There was a Living Social Deal for yoga (just as my latest pass was about to expire) Hooray. Deals are pretty much the only way I can afford to do yoga here in TX since classes are $12 a piece...far cry from good old Yoga Oasis.
Yoga class was cancelled this morning, which is discovered upon driving to the studio. boo. Thankfully there is a class before our Gospel Community this evening, so I'll be getting my stretch on there.
It's cool enough to wear a cardigan and scarf.
I had a free drink coupon at Starbucks so I'm enjoying loads of caffeine in my pumpkin spice latte (and loads of calories!)

Currently:
I recently joined ONS (Oncology Nursing Society...where Oncology Nurses Connect)! I'm pretty excited as my membership gives me free online access to a couple nursing journals. I'm about to get my research on.

My upcoming day:
A new local restaurant, Belly's Cafe, or lunch. Apparently they have delicious food, so of course I can't wait.
Small Group (aka Gospel Community) tonight!
And I just discovered there is a new season of parks and Rec on Netflicks, so I'll probably go ahead and waste sometime watching that this afternoon.

The Happy Dual Personality

2011-10-09T16:06:00.005-07:00

Dinner is in the oven. It's rosemary chicken legs with roasted veggies. I had planned on making it just for Seth and I and now it's going to be for dinner with some of our friends. This is our fourth meal with friends this weekend. The extroverted me is so happy right now.

I also have had some time with Jesus, some gym time, gotten a few errands done, and some meals just for my husband and me. The introverted me is pretty content as well.

source

P.S. in the midst of writing this I set off the fire alarm. A little smoke never hurt anyone right?
P.P.S. Seth and I set up our tent today in the backyard (that's the picture). our first trip with it is in 2 weeks and we didn't want to look like idiots when we set it up. Aren't you proud, Trisha?

Mary and Friends: Books, Again.

2011-10-08T13:47:00.005-07:00

I recently heard, on NPR or something, that when P. L. Travlers was taken to the premier of Mary Poppins the movie, she came out and stated, "all of the animation has to go." Needless to say it was a little late for that in the process, but that story gave me the inkling to read the books. Let me preface my review by saying that Mary Poppins was my favorite movie until I was twelve (then it was Cool Runnings). I loved that crazy nanny. That is why I never thought I would hate the books. Why you ask? Mary Poppins is mean. Seriously, she is narcissistic (at least once a chapter Mary stops and stares at herself in the shop windows). She pretends the crazy adventures she goes on with Jane and George are just ludicrous when the kids try to reminisce and she does not take the kids in the painting adventure with the chimney sweep. WHY DO THE KIDS STILL LIKE HER? I can't lie, I didn't even finish Mary Poppins Comes Back (the second book) because I would rather not continue to tarnish my view of the loveable nanny.

Thankfully this book was better. I never read the original Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, but I did see the movies. Confession: I own them. I picked up this book at the recommendation of a friend, which follows the four best friends as grown ups in their late twenties. It starts off rather grim, but of course ends much much better. I may have even cried while reading the book. Well done, Brashares, well done.

On another note, I made potato crust quiche this morning for breakfast with friends. Definitely increased my love of quiche by like 40% since I (not so) secretly hate the pastry crust.

Late Night Ramblings

2011-10-03T07:58:00.003-07:00

Disclaimer: this post really doesn't go anywhere, so unless you feel like wasting 6 minutes, don't read this.

I do realized it's 9:57 am. But I just got off a 13 hour shift, went to the gym and ate some Trix.

I also just worked 3 nights in a row, that's like working full time in 3 days. super awesome. and by super awesome I mean I'm pretty tired right now. I had some...errr...challenging patients. I also had some patients that started challenging and ended up being pretty cool, and some that started pretty cool and by the end of 3 days were just not that cool anymore. Its just the nature of the job I suppose. One thing I have realized I appreciate is the variety of my job. My nights are never, ever the same, particularly because I constantly have different people I'm dealing with. That is one bonus. Also, chances are if I have had one patient for a couple nights in a row they won't be back the next time I work. Most of the time, that is great.

On another note, my to do list is forever long and includes things like "showering" and "wash floors" and "make something delicious to eat" so I'd better get on that. Right after I sleep away most of my day

BBQ Pizza

2011-09-26T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our backyard patio.
This is our 'lil smokey.
And this! is grilled pizza. YUMCheck it here for recipe.

Love and Joy: Another Book Post

2011-09-25T11:17:00.002-07:00

I'm taking a break from prepping for our grilled pizza party tonight. I should be swiffering so our guests don't judge me for the crumbs all over, instead I'm doing this. (p.s. our friends won't really judge us, at least I hope they won't....)

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith

I happened to see this book for sale on Amazon when I was perusing for books to get with my gift card. (By the way, I got 7 books for $25.00 from a gift card. AWESOME). It's by Betty Smith the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is the story of a newly married couple in their first year of marriage in the 1920s. I felt the story was trite, but the writing is excellent and I ended up being drawn into the story. There is something in me that desires for the simplicity of their lives (i.e. they live in a boarding house and don't even own a blanket of their own). We're so bogged down in having lots of stuff and my list of stuff I want still grows. Alas, that's another issue in itself

The Love List by the Parrots

I may be slightly behind on my goal of reading 12 nonfiction books for the year (NOTE: I had the hardest time distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction probably until college. Honestly, it seems so backward to me that the "non" means it's true...) Anyways, I "borrowed" (read: stole) this book from my parents when we were home last. It was already on my "to read" list because I want to consistently be working on improving my marriage and I love lists. It fulfilled both of those. Les and Leslie outline 2 things you can do each day/week/month/year to improve your marriage, all of which are pretty basic, but great to review. I put it on my husband's "to read" list so we can work on these things together.

Next up: Marry Poppins and Love Wins

Observation Tuesday: Volume 14 (On Monday)

2011-09-19T14:25:00.002-07:00

If you see me in the next two weeks please don't judge my eyebrows. I realized yesterday I needed to get them waxed, while I was in the middle of plucking them. Needless to say now I'm waiting til those two hairs I plucked grow back in to get them waxed, so they're terrifying.

Jude's haircut in Across the Universe is so hipster.

Also, the bowling scene is one of my favorite movie scenes ever.

I'm getting really excited about all the fall paraphernalia out, but lets be honest, its still 88 degrees here, so I'm not feeling it.

Nectar of the Angels

2011-09-16T06:41:00.002-07:00

If you know my dad, you know what I'm talking about.

Coffee.
Finally, after 3 months of owning it, I finally figured out how to use my espresso machine. I had psyched myself out with the thought of it being super complicated despite having been taught by my dad to use his multiple times. (Lets be honest, I may have "forgotten" just so he would keep making me caramel lattes...) but I DID IT. hooray. Cappuccinos for everyone!

Food!

2011-09-07T06:16:00.006-07:00

My bff recently posted a blog about food. I told her that was part of the reason we were best friends because honestly, I spend a lot of time thinking about food. I finish a breakfast of fresh mango, kuchen and coffee and I'm already planning my lunch. My sister, a few of my cousins and I have a recipe email exchange. And my cooking bookmark folder never gets any smaller since I add about 10 recipes a week. I have also started taking pictures of my food to remember, so for your enjoyment here are a few meals my husband and I have made, with links.

#1 Parmesan Baked Tilapia, sauteed asparagus and cous cous
Really easy and you're getting your omega 3s!#2 Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
These are DELICIOUS. Thank you Joy the Baker for the good you have brought in my life

#3 French Bread (recipe in my Better Homes and Garden cookbook)
I made these the day my husband got his wisdom teeth out (if you have a few minutes watch Seth after dentist), which was kind of mean considering he couldn't eat the crust. It's best right after you cook it, and my technique could be better, but at least it looks good.

#4 Grilled Chicken Breasts with Peaches and Coriander and Lemon dressing
This was made by my fantastic husband. Pretty phenomenal. Unfortunately the recipe can't be shared. And by can't I mean its in our Canadian Living Barbeque cookbook and I'm too lazy to type it up. If you really want it, email me.

There you have it, a glimpse in to our lives via what we eat for dinner/breakfast.

The best decision I ever made

2011-09-03T15:14:00.004-07:00

Okay, it may not be the very best, but definitely in the top 10. That decision is keeping a toothbrush in my shower. Very few things are better than totally feeling clean after hopping of the shower.

The real purpose of this book was to write more about books I've read. These two were gems. First, Pigs In Heaven. Yet another winner by Barbara Kingsolver. I may be slightly obsessed with her. This book, as a sequel to The Bean Trees, follows Taylor and Turtle through another journey into Turtle's past. I give it two thumbs way up, so I highly recommend it. And to quote Washington Post Book World, “There is no one quite like Barbara Kingsolver in contemporary literature. Her dialogue sparkles with sassy wit and the earthy poetry of ordinary folks’ talk; her descriptions have a magical lyricism rooted in daily life but also on familiar terms with the eternal.”

My mom had recommended this book to me several months ago. Muriel Barbery has written a book about Renee Michel, a concierge who conceals her true interests to seem less intelligent and more typical to the wealthy tenants of the building she lives in. The books also involves an elderly Japanese man who moves in to the building and a genius 12 year old who plans to commit suicide the day she turns 13. Aren't you intrigued? This made me wish I spoke French so I could have read it in the original book. But, even in English it was still an interesting read.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2011-09-01T05:35:00.002-07:00

God has blessed me with some pretty fantastic men in my life. Today happens to be the day we celebrate one of them. Clearly, he deserves a lot of celebrating. Because if you look that cool backpacking in the 70's then you must be even cooler now. He is. Here's why:

He loves to party. He will always be up for dinner with friends, games after dinner or an afternoon swim.

He is adventurous. He's been all over the world, still does backpacking trips in Glacier and does crazy things like summersaults across the finish lines for half marathons.

The man really appreciates good meals and coffee. I'll never forget the time we splurged on dinner at The Tavern on the Green simply because "we eat our memories."

He loves my mom. I have never seen a man more dedicated to loving his wife. He brings her cake at work on her birthday, washes the windows and can throw together a wonderful meal in no time.

He loves Jesus. A lot. He seeks to serve him through loving his family, reaching the unreached and spending time with him. This has impacted me more than any other awesome factor about my dad and for that I am so grateful.

So Dad, here's to you on your day. Wish I was with you to buy you an iced Americano with real caramel sauce, not syrup, go on a hike through the park and then make you something delicious. But, since I'm not, the promise of doing that next year at the cabin will have to be enough. I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Parks and Rec

2011-08-31T15:58:00.002-07:00

"Hoes before bros. Ovaries before brovaries. Uteruses before duderuses."

"Nursing is easy. You just go to work, people come to you and you heal them"

"Those Ludacris' are coming in great."

Thoughts on college

2011-08-27T10:58:00.005-07:00

True confessions: I wish I was starting college agian. Probably not freshman year, but more like sophmore or junior year. I'm pining for the new fatty syllabi, the crowds of people, and the excuses to ditch doing responsible things and hang out with my friends. This blog is an ode to things I've missed.

1) I miss the new first week of the school year when you end up with about 90 new facebook friends. 94% of which you will never talk to again. Who doesn't love the new requests from the random kid you met through your roommate at a party thrown by your old dorm mates?

2) I miss my highlighted planner. The syllabi and club events provided endless excuses to not pay attention to any of my classes and write in all my tests and papers and then highlight accordingly.

3) I miss pizookie nights with my roommates. Enough said.

4) I miss learning! It's really hard to find motivation to do research and such when it's not part of your degree. And without the motivation of clinical prep I the giant stacks of new textbooks that I could use do weight lifting exercises do not get used.

5) I miss the lack of real responsibility. Honestly, dealing with my own health insurance is not my favorite thing.

Our trip to the big city

2011-08-23T09:42:00.006-07:00

My husband loves Austin. He lived there til he was 11 and has very fond memories of the city. His parents were planning on going for a few days so I worked my schedule out and we tagged along so I could experience it. These are pictures from the first half of our trip. The second half, I forgot my camera.

This place was Seth's favorite pizza restaurant as a kid
The Men got sausage deep dish, and the women got artichoke and tomatoes. Delish!
Fun fact, once someone drove through the front of the restaurant and they still have the tire marks on the ground.

We went to Mt Bonnell for views of the city and saw this gorgeous sunset!
Our first morning there Seth and I stopped at Bennu Coffee and I got myself a delicious iced vanilla latte. Seth enjoyed the smell.
We then drove around downtown and did some window shopping on South Congress. Which we dubbed SoCo. We stopped at Hopdoddy, a super trendy burger place.
I got a salad.
But this is Seth's burger, with chili and fritos.

The rest of our trip included a fun dinner with some of my in-laws oldest friends, more coffee, the original whole foods, delicious barbeque, and seeing The Help. It was a fun trip out of town and I guess now I kind of like Austin.

Still more books

2011-08-19T16:03:00.002-07:00

I've read some more books lately. And I'm a little behind on blogging them. So here are a few I've read.

I was incredibly impressed with Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. The author is a doctor who was born to Indian parents and grew up in Ethiopia, much like the narrator and main character. He presents the fascinating story of twins born to a nun. These boys are raised by doctors at this hospital in the politically tumultuous city of Addis Ababa. This book told by one of the twins, follows his life until he is an adult. I liked it particularly because there are several medical events in the book told with great detail. This book took a little while to get into, but once I was hooked.

I read this book because Bossypants wasn't in yet. It was a quick read and not necessarily one I recommend. that's the bottom line.

Anyways, next I'll be blogging about Austin! yay!

Keeping it weird

2011-08-17T12:30:00.002-07:00

Currently we are here
Picture blog of our trip to come next week

Life Lately

2011-08-09T14:18:00.004-07:00

We have finally, sort of, settled in to life here after the wedding. Our house is organized, although not fully decorated (yet). Here are a few images to show you what my life has consisted of recently.

Lauren sent us these fantastic mustache chip clips.
I promptly turned them in to a faux-stache.

Seth and I were able to go home the last weekend in July to see this little buddy before he headed back to Bangladesh.
We've hung out with some friends.
And we got to use our "friend 1" and "friend 2" popcorn buckets.
Feel free to come for a visit and you too, could be friend 1 and 2.
Saturday morning breakfasts have been standard here. We decided that it would be a tradition of sorts to make something every weekend. This has mostly consisted of Seth making me things, since I work/sleep-in pretty much every time.
These were some delicious breakfast burritos.
We've also done cinnamon rolls and breakfast mash-ups (with my family), omelets, & scrambled eggs and toast.
I have basil and am working on keeping it alive. It has lived inside so far because I think the 100* heat would be too much for it, so making sure it gets enough sunlight has been a labor of love. I froze some today!

We've made some more delicious food and decorated the house more too, but these will be separate posts

2011-07-30T12:06:00.003-07:00

If you haven't heard of pinterest, don't. It's addictive.

Essentially you can "pin" pictures from other websites to your "boards" and you can "repin" pictures from other people as well. Here are some of the latest funny things I've found.

from: http://imgfave.com/view/538678

Most fantastic band-aids ever:
from: http://svpply.com/item/128535/What_Happened_Bandages

If I ever get an iPhone:
from: http://www.fredflare.com/WHAT-S-NEW/Etch-A-Sketch-iPhone-Case/

One Step Closer

2011-07-29T13:53:00.005-07:00

Well, you all know of my goal of being that lady that makes the delicious cinnamon rolls. Probably because I'm related to you and I told you. If I didn't, I may have written a blog post about it, but I can't find it and am too lazy. Anyways, I just wanted you to know that now I'm one step closer to really being the lady that makes cinnamon rolls.

My favorite part of cinnamon roll making: the spreading of the butter, with my hands.

random note: how cute are the embroidered day-of-the-week towels we got for our wedding?

I only got a finished picture of these on my phone, so none on the blog post today. There are still some improvements to be made, but these are definitely better than the last batch I made! Making batch 2 tomorrow :)

Good Morning

2011-07-27T06:21:00.001-07:00

Amen.

Happy Birthday, To Me.

2011-07-21T08:33:00.002-07:00

Check out my cute 8 year old self celebrating. I already got some breakfast in bed, did some yoga and am partaking of some Starbucks. I could just stop now and it would already be worth it.

Back to Basics: Books!

2011-07-16T22:53:00.002-07:00

I legitimately can't remember any books I read before the wedding/honeymoon that I didn't blog about, though I know there were a few.

This is the last book I finished. I read it on my honeymoon and finished in the four days. Barbara Kingsolver is hands down my favorite author. Ever. I love everything she writes. In fact, The Poisonwood Bible is my favorite book. This book follows Codi through her transition moving from Tucson, AZ to her hometown of Grace, AZ in the face of her sister moving to Guatemala (or something...) and her father's failing health. Kingsolver does an amazing job as usual and I recommend it :)

Okay, off to the car registrant's office and DMV, when I'd rather be reading.

Wish List

2011-07-16T22:45:00.004-07:00

It's my birthday in a few days...cough, cough...Thursday. Feel free to get me any of the following:

1)A scarf hanger - SO HANDY!

2) This adorable towel from House 8810
3) This super cozy looking blanket also from House 8810
4) A gift card to Amazon so I can buy all the books on my "to read" list, which is now super long.

P.S. I'm kidding you don't have to get me anything :)

What's a girl to do?

2011-07-02T14:00:00.003-07:00

The husband is officially gone on a family men's camping trip for the July 4th weekend until Wednesday. Not only is he not at home but he doesn't even have cell service. What am I filling my time with?

-Clean/organize our outrageous house. There is currently a stack of empty Crate and Barrel boxes the size of Kilamanjaro that needs to be taken to the recycling place, my clothes are somewhat organized, and almost every thing in the kitchen has a home. Lets not talk about the extra bedroom or the pile of papers that needs to be filed, or the dirty floors...
-Watch lots of 30 Rock on Netflix with my sister-in-law.
-Run errands because really the pile of things that needed to be returned to Target was a little big.
-Thank you cards!
-Trying to meal plan so when I grocery shop I don't go out of control...
-Work. Thankfully I got put on call on Thursday so I had time off. But I'm back for 3 in a row on Sunday. At least it'll make time go fast til the husband comes home!

Because I don't like naked posts, here is a photografia of us from our honeymoon!

Celebration

2011-06-29T06:11:00.004-07:00

Check us out dancing our butts off to celebrate our marriage! More to come soon...

Distracted...

2011-06-11T00:25:00.002-07:00

...By this kid that flew in yesterday.

Home is where the toilet paper is

2011-05-26T17:13:00.003-07:00

This past Sunday Seth and I signed the lease on our home for (at least) the next year. I am smitten. Thankfully the first house we put our deposit on fell through (and by fell through I mean the people took 2 deposits first without telling us). After some disappointment and some Craigstlist searching I found our new place! Thankfully, Seth trusted me enough to put the deposit down before he saw it. It is a perfect 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in the middle of town. We've got a back porch and a nice backyard to boot.

I spent the morning perusing the aisles of Sam's Club buying large quantities of home goods to set up house. Lets just say we now have enough toilet paper and trash bags to last us at least a few months. We're good to go.

My amazing fiance is currently loading up a trailer with our furniture back in AZ. He'll be back next week so we can set up house before heading home for the wedding. As soon as I upload the new photos of the house I'll post some real pictures so you can fall in love with it too.

Photo source (http://blog.toiletpaperworld.com/tag/toiletpaperworld-com/)

Observation Tuesday: Volume 13 (On Monday)

2011-05-16T17:09:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile, but here are some observations/life updates:

I've think I've trained my psyche to crave breakfast burritos after I work. The local Market Street has a burrito bar that is delicious and you pay by the pound. genius.
Will be with ALL of my bridesmaids (FINALLY) exactly one month from today.
Seth and I found a house to rent. We do a final walk-through, sign the lease, pay rent and get keys on SUNDAY.
Speaking of Seth, he is 4 days away from being done with his first year of teaching. I am so proud of him! then he drives out to see me on SATURDAY! so so so so so excited to be reunited with him
Finally, raisin bran isn't nearly as satisfying anymore, and I'm not sure why.

Bookworms, unite.

2011-05-11T13:50:00.004-07:00

I picked by The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom on a whim when I was going home because it was a small book. It was such a quick read I can't help but recommend it. It tells the story of Eddie Maintenance as he dies and encounters, you guessed it, 5 people in heaven and the lessons he learns about his life through them. Not terribly thought provoking but a nice by-the-pool read.

My mom and mother-in-law both gave this book rave reviews. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is the incredibly powerful story of Louis Zamperini, a World War II prisoner of war survivor. It documents his whole life from his amazing Olympic running career, his survival on a life raft after his plane was shot down, the 2 years he spent in a POW camp in Japan and his amazing life post-war. The stories of men like Louie are truly inspiring and Hillenbrand does a beautiful job telling the story that needs to be read.

On other notes, so much to think about before the wedding! Music choices, registry updates, and travel plans. oh my.

My weakness...

2011-05-03T20:00:00.003-07:00

I'm pretty sure it's psychologically/physically/emotionally impossible for me to leave that place without spending a hefty sum of money on a totally random assortment of things. Today's haul:

dress for rehearsal dinner
17 packs of pencils, for the wedding
jorts (jean shorts). Since my last hole ripped last summer. r.i.p.
$5 sweatshirt
yellow nail polish
6 pencil cups (curse you dollar section...)
make-up squishy triangle things
face lotion
body lotion
Cards for a certain holiday coming up this sunday

Things I almost left with: a dump truck, lunchbox, lip gloss, gum, and a cake stand. Thankfully I have some semblance of self-restraint.

Scans

2011-05-02T22:33:00.003-07:00

Me, circa 1991. Thanks, mom, for the pics.

Countdown

2011-04-28T22:22:00.004-07:00

1 year and 5 days ago I was proposed to in La Jolla, California.

And in 50 days I'll be getting married! I can hardly contain my excitement.

I've been working on some diy wedding projects the last couple weeks, all of which will be shared after the wedding. I've also been cooking a little bit, including tomato chutney with pork chops and rice, pineapple and strawberry crumble and rotini with pesto and broccoli. yum. Unfortunately my camera transfer cord is in Tucson, so no pictures for you guys. Sorry the blog has been neglected lately, but once I get my camera cord back I'll be all about it again :)

Mas Libros

2011-04-24T18:46:00.004-07:00

I'm just a reading machine.

One Thousand Gifts
by Ann Voskamp

This book can be summed up with "Be Thankful." But Ann writes about her journey learning this lesson when she was dared to write a list of 1,000 things she was thankful for. This reminded me of my mom's thankful journal that we used to write in at home. I love the idea and may just take it up someday for myself. I didn't love her writing style but the idea of the book is excellent.

Blood Bones and Butter: The Reluctant Education of an Inadvertent Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton

I first heard about this book on The Splendid Table, a food podcast from American Public Media. It's an autobiography written by the chef of the restaurant Prune in NYC. She had a crazy childhood growing up in an old broken down silk mill, fending for herself at 16 in the city and just living life as a chef. I didn't necessarily approve of her lifestyle but her writing is enthralling and her life keeps you on your toes.

Spring Break 2011!

2011-04-24T18:20:00.003-07:00

One benefit of being with a teacher is that even though I don't get the holidays off I still feel like they're holidays. My handsome man came in last Monday and just flew out this morning back to Tucson and I'm back to the grind tomorrow evening.

It was excellent to be able to hang out for a whole week in the same place! Fortunately, we were super productive this past week. We got Seth's wedding suit, found a potential house, sat outside, ate delicious food, froze at a sunrise Easter service, and even went on a date. We saw Water for Elephants. Based on a fantastic book I read this summer, the movie didn't disappoint. I was not thrilled with the choice of actors (R. Patz doesn't appropriately express emotion), and it didn't completely capture the book but it was neat to see the story on screen.

Now, I just have to go through the next 2 weeks before heading back to AZ to see my man again!

Engage!

2011-04-10T09:29:00.003-07:00

I came home at the end of February and immediately after landing in Phoenix I drove home, hopped in the shower and got all gussied up for our engagement pictures. They were done by the AMAZING Kimberly Jarman Photography. I met Kim in 7th grade when she started working with the youth at our church, I then worked for Kim in high school as her first admin assistant, and have continued to admire her photography since then. Seth and I are totally in love with these pictures so now I hope you enjoy this little taste!

Just what you have been waiting for. More book reviews

2011-04-05T14:33:00.004-07:00

Being on call for work puts me in such a productive mood. I've already written all my thank you cards from my amazing bridal shower this past weekend, coded an interview for a research project and bought a plane ticket home. Hooray.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

As you already know, I love reading good books. This was one of them. Betty Smith wrote such an incredible story of a young woman growing up in Brooklyn in the early 20th century. Through the book you fall in love with Francie Nolan and the whole family. I highly recommend this book.

I've put her second book Joy in the Morning on my "to read" list.

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

Now, I feel bad reviewing this book, because my sister was going to give it to me for the wedding so I shouldn't have read it. Bottom line though, it was a beautiful book. I am still processing everything I read in this book. Vanauken writes the incredibly moving account of his marriage to his darling wife. It includes letters written from C.S. Lewis to Vanauken. The way they approach their marriage, love, their search for faith is so inspiring. I'm even making the fiance read it so we can discuss it.

Monday, Monday

2011-04-04T08:27:00.002-07:00

How I feel after 3 nights in a row:
(source)

And where I'll be spending most of my day:

(source)

okay, not this exact bed, but you get the idea
Enjoy your Monday.

Delicious!

2011-03-31T14:10:00.004-07:00

I love good food. And I love good friends. On my trip to Fort Worth, Lacey and I made this delicious dinner.
We went to this cool market to get our fresh and yummy ingredients.

And we used these recipes:

Salad (well, no recipe, we made it up)
From fresh baby spring greens, diced apples, strawberries and grapes with a balsamic dressing

Baked Tilapia from Paula Deen on the Food Network
Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi
A super delicious and fast meal for those who want to make a good impression or just eat well :)

My Saturday Evening

2011-03-26T16:31:00.002-07:00

Cheering on my Wildcats, embroidering a wedding project and making corn and black bean salsa for tomorrow. Love my weekends off!

(source: http://arizona.inetgiant.com/tucson/addetails/arizona-wildcat-basketball-season-tickets-tucson-1/11618840)

Observation Tuesday: Volume 13

2011-03-22T18:41:00.009-07:00

Spring is officially here and I feel it in the air. The Fiance is almost done with his first year of teaching (!!!), I've been working for 6 months, and our wedding is in just 88 days!

Observations for today:

I really, just, cannot do flying pigeon. I love going to a yoga class in which is am challenged by the poses, this morning I went to one such class. Check out this link to see the pose I will be practicing in my bedroom before I go to bed tonight...
I've been loving this song (Marathon by Tennis) lately. More of her music is on my iTunes wish-list.
Wedding planning would definitely be easier if you were in the same city, or state, as your event. Thank goodness for great moms, the internet and email!
One day, watching the weather, I saw a curious thing. The weather report said "dusty" for Wednesday. I thought to myself, that is not weather... but I have now realized, in West Texas, it certainly is. The sky was brown and the winds were strong today.
I really really have a love/hate relationship with the books I'm reading right now. The problem is that both of them I am reading right now are SO good!
The Wildcats have made me proud! Sweet 16! Unfortunately I have to work this Thursday so I will be depending on the fiance for text updates...

Sorry for the lack of pictures. Our internet is feeling sluggish and doesn't want to upload any....

Holy Moly

2011-03-17T22:52:00.004-07:00

In exactly 3 months today and about 15 hours, I'll be saying "I do" to the love of my life.

However, all I can think about is A) How long 3 months is and how awful life is currently because I'm living in a separate state from my fiance and B) how short 3 months is because in the midst of working (more than) full time, doing extra research on the side, living a normal life, I've still got wedding details to plan. In fact, as tired as I was 3 hours ago my mind is racing with all I have to do NOW and on top of it all I've got 3 nights of work ahead of me.

I'm going to be honest here, internet world, I'm finding it incredibly challenging to be positive and joyful. My job does not feel totally fulfilling to me, I don't yet have a community here, and its really hard being so far from the people I love most. There are moments where I feel incredibly happy and blessed, like when I get to spend a weekend with a friend, or catch up with a bridesmaid on the phone, or when I get to fly home for a weekend. But lately I've felt like these moments are only when I am escaping from where I currently am. I have not been living in the statement "wherever you are, be all there."

My brain keeps coming up with these brilliant, Godly statements like "you're in this place for a reason" and "count it all joy..." and "you really are blessed" and all of these are outrageously true. However, my heart does not listen to these statements. In fact, my heart feels sad a lot. I'm working (sometimes...) on seeing the positive and remembering that I'm only engaged for another 3 months and I really need to embrace this time and the lessons I am learning. Still, I'm anxious for the time when I get to look back and reflect on what I learned. In all this mess and thinking and busy-ness your advice is welcomed and prayers are coveted.

Anyways, this rambling is getting ridiculous. If you are one of the dear people that has been putting up with me and is supporting me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you are a random person reading this, just know, my other posts are usually a less bleeding heart.

Fort Worth For The Win

2011-03-13T22:48:00.006-07:00

I just came back from a very cozy weekend with one of my very best friends and fellow nursing school survivor. It is so comforting to be in the presence of someone you are totally comfortable with and can just chat about anything and everything with. We went to a fantastic dinner Friday (more below), and spent Saturday in really great yoga class, at a super cool market, by the pool eating frozen yogurt and finally eating a delicious home-cooked meal (which will be its own blog).

We had an incredible dinner at Tillman's Steak House. It was a phenomenal and trendy restaurant in a really cool area of Fort Worth. And because I love good food and reminiscing about said food I'll tell you about the menu:

Prickly Pear Margarita
Pork Tenderloin with a side of Mac & Cheese
Honey, rosemary and lavender salmon with creamy asparagus and rice and sauteed field mushrooms

And the real kicker:

S'mores for dessert, complete with a mini personal fire, homemade graham crackers, chocolate and flavored marshmallows

Libros

2011-03-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Lucky you, more book reviews today.

Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts
by Les & Leslie Parrott

First of all, can I just say it would be so weird to marry someone with the same name as you like the authors of the book? Okay, now I can move on.
Second, I've been reading this for about 9 months, since my best friend sent it to me as an engagement gift. Wait, Sarah, it was a gift right? Or do you want me to send it back? Let me know. Thankfully, it has no storyline so I didn't have to go back and reread the first half or so. But bottom line, it was really solid book about marraige and had some really important things for me to think about before June. It brought up issues like making sure you discuss your expectations and roles in the marriage, talking about your love languages, and making sure you pray together. Lots of basic things to consider before Seth and I get married. If you're engaged, I would recommend it.

The Zookeeper's Wife
By Diane Ackerman

First off, I thought this was a non-fiction book when I started reading it. Very quickly I realized this is a fiction book written about the wife of, you guessed it, a zookeeper, set in Warsaw, Poland during the German occupation in World War II. I am not that into zoology so the parts of the book talking about that were a little tough to get through. However, I love the Holocaust. In fact I even took a class on it in college, so once I pushed through the sections about the animals their story is fascinating. They house many many Jewish people in their home and the zoo throughout the war and had incredibly close calls. Her husband even works for the Underground resistance movement. Makes me think about if I would have been so brave and really done what was right in the face of such evil. Anyway, if you're into The Holocaust or zoos, its an incredible true story of a very incredible woman.

Observation Tuesday: Volume 12

2011-03-02T19:34:00.002-07:00

Yet again, I am posting Observation Tuesday on Wednesday. Fail. We'll get over it together.

1) I would like to say thank you to my 10th Grade Spanish Teacher. I owe her my greatest debt of gratitude as I have now been able to use my Spanish with a number of patients I've had. Last week I served as a translator for a patient and a doctor for an informed consent! It's a little outrageous that I had to do that, but it's still fun to do.

2) This morning, after work, I went to Auto Zone to have them run the check engine diagnostic test on my car. The employee proceeded to tell me my car was weird, I should get the tinting fixed on my window because the tape job was not great and all about his car purchase history. All quite unnecessary, but entertaining I guess.

3) My check engine light is still on and I already tried tightening the gas cap like they told me. Any other ideas?

4) The best matron of honor in the world is currently booking the bachlorette party villa in Scottsdale, I thought I could not be more excited about my wedding week than I already was, but I am now!

5) 108 days til I get married :)

Me, today

2011-02-28T08:30:00.002-07:00

Said good-bye to the fiance, and parents, and aunt and uncle who were in town and will be boarding a flight to Austin, which will continue on to Dallas, then layover and another flight to Lubbock. Back to work tonight.

Gonna reflect on the good, like the fact that there are 109 days until I get married, we've out our wedding rings ordered and at some point in the near future I'll get to see our amazing engagement pictures.

Farm Life

2011-02-17T17:05:00.003-07:00

Two new calves were born in the last week, so this morning I went to see them.

More pictures to come later.

Book Reviews: II

2011-02-07T22:06:00.001-07:00

I read a few more books

Nanny Returns
This is a sequal to the first book, Nanny Diaries, by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Nan Hutinchson get involved again in the life of her former young charger - Grayer - and has to fight her own personal battles with a job, her marriage and friends. There is something I find appealing about a peek into the lives of fake, rich people in NYC. Another fluffy, entertaining book I read in 4 days. No real substance, but good for distraction.

Someone Knows My Name
I think my aunt recommended this to my mom, who told me about it. I picked it up at the library and could not put it down. It is an incredible story about Meena Dee, or Aminata Diallo, a girl who is taken from Africa at 11 and sold into slavery. It follows her journey to the end and is incredibly well-written and captivating.

A Little Inspiration

2011-02-05T16:52:00.007-07:00

I'm on call. Which inherently means I spend large amounts of time googling random stuff. This particular time I have found some home inspiration for my future abode. Enjoy.

I love this eating area featured on Design Sponge.
The patterned chairs and light streaming in are so lovely!
And I've already got a leg up on the shelf with the vases, seeing how I have 107 vases so far.

I adore this little desk next to the bed from I don't remember where.
The vintage look and mirror just make this space so cozy.

I've been very into the idea of open kitchen shelves.
This image from My Home Ideas has been particular inspiration
I'm getting white dishes for our wedding so I think it's be great with a fun wall color in the background too.

Finally for today's post, I'll show you this adorable red and blue accented kitchen from Casapinka
I think to find this I looked up "red kitchens" and found the post.
How great is the hanging rolling pin on the wall?

4.5 months til the wedding and the same til I'll get to start decorating again :)

Thoughts

2011-02-03T02:24:00.008-07:00

I'm only going to refer to this month as Febtober as homage to Celebrity Jeopardy.

Speaking of game shows, some girl on The Wheel of Fortune** today had one letter and proceeded to buy all 5 vowels. She didn't even solve the puzzle. It's a pet peeve of mine when people buy vowels.

The Verizon Wireless process for ordering an iphone was flawed. Lets hope they still have some when I figure it all out.

I accomplished some wedding stuff this weekend: booked a DJ, got 57 more vases for our centerpieces, started premarital counseling, and met with our incredible graphic designer to see invites. Woo!

**posting at 2 am seems to not be intelligent for me. I have now fixed the facts that were mistyped.

Airport Haikus

2011-01-28T07:25:00.002-07:00

A giant chessboard
All alone in the airport
Waiting to be played

Lubbock is so flat
The runways aren't even needed
The field would work too

Poptarts for breakfast
Stomach still grumbles loudly
Starbucks is calling

Donde Esta La Biblioteca?

2011-01-25T17:45:00.004-07:00

I've finished a couple more books now. Here are my reviews so I don't forget.

One Day by David Nicholls

A cheesy story about friends, Em and Dex, Dex and Em. It looks at them on the same day (July 15) every day for each year for 15 years. Nothing revolutionary but it was a fun, quick read.

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko

Dave Ramsey references his book quite a bit and I decided to read it. With this whole full-time job thing I've got going on I've got an income and figured I should start learning what to do with it. Bottom line what I learned is the Millionaire Next Door is probably a 57 year old male who owns his own business, lives frugally, has kids he doesn't given money too (other than education), and has a wife that stays home. The book also had a formula to help you determine what your wealth accumulation should be. It told me I should have somewhere around $92,000. Needless to say I don't think it really was accurate. This book basically told me what I already knew, that to be financially independent you need to live below your means, invest wisely and don't be an idiot with some fun figures and tables thrown in.

P.S. I've joined Good Reads because I LOVE making lists and keeping track of things so I don't forget. It's basically an online bookshelf where you can rate books you've read. Sweeeet.

Observation Tuesday: Volume 11

2011-01-24T22:54:00.004-07:00

This is what I am observing on my computer background right now. The Cutest Nephew In The World.

One perk to working weekends, I get to come home on Monday mornings and go to bed. It makes the world seem better.

I can't wait to go home in just 4 days! Which means airplanes. Which means more interesting observations.

Working from home

2011-01-20T16:04:00.005-07:00

I'm currently in the process of doing my NIH online Stroke Scale Certification for work. Lets just say it involves 6 scenarios, with 12 questions each, and each question has a 20 second video that takes about 8 minutes to load. I'm also going crazy. Hence this random blog post about exciting recent finds/things I'm doing.

Did you know there is a brand of mason jar made by Knox? This happens to be my future last name so this discovery at an antique store got me a little overexcited yesterday. They will become part of my wedding centerpieces as well as have some prominent feature in my future home.

I'm dying to make this recipe for Gooey Butter Cake. But need a legitimate excuse, other than say, my half birthday tomorrow, because I would end up eating all of it, and I really don't need that.

My current project involves knitted potholders in red and white for my future kitchen. Also, I may have gone a little overboard buying the $1 yarn at Michaels and don't need 15 for myself so if you'd like one too, just let me know :)

My First 'Brodiery Project

2011-01-16T15:51:00.003-07:00

I got an embroidery kit for Christmas and just finished my first project! I'm in love. I have 6 other projects already lined up and may have just gone to Michael's for more thread :)

Book Reviews

2011-01-11T05:34:00.005-07:00

I made it a New Years Resolve to read more books, more specifically to 24 this year (roughly 1 fiction and 1 non fiction a month). Unfortunately I started the year with this book.

I saw this appealing cover on the shelf of the tiny library here in Lubbock since the other 12 books I wanted to read weren't there and thought, "hey, I liked Life of Pi, this could be good." I was wrong. It's the story of an author who meets a taxidermist writing a play about a donkey and a monkey. It does not get any better from there.

Read my sentiments about this book here.

Thankfully the next book I read was not as awful. In fact, it was quite good. This book, The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Angels Anglada (translated from Catalan), is a poignant story about a violin made in a Holocaust concentration camp. For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by the Holocaust and therefore really like most books set in that period. This one was no exception. It's a quick read and I recommend it if you enjoy this type of book.

Christmas Crafts

2011-01-06T18:13:00.005-07:00

Everyone has now opened their presents from me so I can now blog about them.

First, I made my mom these felt flower pins. I found the guide on how to make the Chrysi pins and made them a few days later. Very easy and super cute pinned on a scarf, jacket or sweater. Or you could attach them to a belt. Or whatever.

Second, I knitted my best friends scarves. The colors and details were picked based on their personalities and the colors I know they wear. I've been working on them for months! I was pretty proud of how they turned out.
Finally, my mom also received this wreath, which is probably my favorite homemade craft so far. You can find the tutorial here. Very easy and no skills required. I found the balls in the target $1 section (after searching Michaels AND Walmart and finding no cheap options) and I got the yarn on sale at Michaels. It could be cute to make for any holiday I think, perhaps pinks and creams for Valentines day?

Observation Tuesday: Volume 10

2011-01-05T11:00:00.003-07:00

1) Some cooking education for you: wholemeal flour is the English term for whole wheat flour.
2) As much as I love love love Christmas music, I like that the pressure is off after Christmas and I can again freely listen to whatever I want. Yes I know, I am pressuring myself, buuut just go with it.
3) It's coldish here and I am not mentally prepared for it.
4) I enjoy buying Christmas stuff post-holidays. You cannot beat 75% off a bunch of stuff for next year.
5) Want to smile and also have an annoying song stuck in your head ALL DAY LONG? Watch this.
6) That's all I've got today.
7) Oh, if you're my sister, get on skype!

My 2011 resolves

2011-01-01T19:03:00.002-07:00

This year I completely missed the countdown to 2011 and ball drop. I was in a patient's room in the hospital putting in an NG tube, looked at my watch and realized it was 12:04. Talk about anti-climactic. Then today, I slept for about 9 hours and showered, therefore completing all the goals I had set out to do. Big day, I know.

I decided I should think about what I want to do this year and I would blog about it, since I'm not one to keep things to myself. So, here is my preliminary list of goals, both personal and professional, for 2011.

1) Get married!
2) Refinish 5 pieces of furniture
3) Get chemotherapy certified at work
4) Join the local Oncology Nursing Society chapter
5) Give more random gifts
6) Embroider some stuff
7) Move into my first place with my husband and make it our home
8) Make some new traditions for our family and continue old ones
9) Travel to Cancun (helllooo honeymoon!)
10) Read 24 books (12 for fun, 12 to better myself) & write them down! (since i have a terrible memory)
11) Start saving for retirement and possibly going back to school
12) Take more pictures
13) Get involved in a church in TX
14) Keep my blog updated with things I'm doing

Presents: recieving

2010-12-28T20:45:00.004-07:00

I love to talk about great presents I get. (Remember, from my birthday?) So here are some fantastic presents I got this year:

Lululemon pants. Favorite brand of yoga pants ever. Fiance did a great job!
A seriously fantastic ring from the grandparents. Just ask me to show it to you some time.
An embroidery kit from Sublime Stitching. This is not your grandma's embroidery. Get ready for some wicked cool pillow cases being featured within the next several months...
More super cool jewelry from Turkey, Africa (2!) and Bangladesh! I have no reason to not be well accessorized
And as seen above, some personalized popcorn buckets for our new home. You are officially invited to use our "friend #1" bucket.
A really cool plate with our names on it from Turkey (from my future sister and brother in law!)

And several other goodies I'm excited to use! Can't lie...I love good presents.

Christmas

2010-12-26T00:04:00.004-07:00

Today I realized that no matter where you are, or what you do, Christmas is always Christmas. For the first time in 22 years I wasn't with my immediate family on Christmas. It was strange and didn't feel like the Christmas I am used to, but it still was. No matter what Christmas is still the day we celebrate the coming of our Savior in a completely miraculous way. The day we gather with those we love to eat too much food, laugh together and simply be with one another. And there are many more to look forward to which will be celebrated with different people and in different places and will all be about the birth of Jesus and celebrating our blessings.

From an early age

2010-12-04T13:21:00.004-07:00

I have loved egg nog since I was a mere toddler apparently.

Observation Tuesday: Volume 9

2010-11-30T09:56:00.002-07:00

First of all..WHAT? It's Tuesday again? I was just going to post some random blog and then I thought to myself, what day is it? and to my shock I realized it was already Tuesday. After a super relaxing holiday weekend filled with family time (family-in-law time?), I worked last night and ran errands all yesterday and then BAM! the week is gone.

So here are my observations:
1. Those cinnamon pita chips must be covered in crack because I am seriously addicted to them. I am not a huge chip eater but I went through this bag in about 12 hours. Seriously, pick a bag up asap. They might also be delicious with a cream cheese dip of some sort. I will try that next time I get some if I don't eat them all before I get home to the kitchen.
2. I love living in my new home. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying into a family I love. And the bonus that they love me enough to let me live with them.
3. I still don't really like Turkey. I prefer ham.
4. Always check the Target dollar bin. I went yesterday and got part of a craft project I'm working on for $1 when the same thing I needed was $5 at Wal-Mart. Beat that!
5. CHRISTMAS E-MAILS START TOMORROW. HOORAY! If you have any questions about Christmas you are dying to know the answer to, and are too lazy to google it yourself leave me a comment and I will answer it in my e-mails!

Guess what??

2010-11-26T09:51:00.004-07:00

It's officially the Christmas season! My favorite time of the year. Which means my annual Christmas countdown is starting. Woo Hoo! I send out an e-mail a day countdown with a Christmas tidbit every day.

If you'd like to be a part of it leave me your e-mail address and I will be glad to add you.

Observation Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition

2010-11-24T16:13:00.004-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's Wednesday. But I worked yesterday so this is when I got to it. Today's edition is going to be a list of completely random things I am thankful for.

1. Modern IV Pumps. I am really glad I don't have to calculate drip rates like my mom did when she first started.
2. Ovens. I love baking and it would not be nearly as easy without an oven.
3. My Droid. I feel uber-connected with it and love being able to skype from my phone :)
4. Speaking of Skype. I am incredibly thankful for this wonderful invention that lets me talk to my sister and see my nephew even though they're on the other side of the world.
5. Felt. I used it to make a super cute craft flower. I'll blog about this later.
6. Planes. Especially the one my fiance is on right now!
7. People with positive attitudes. Especially those I'm around all the time, my friends and my patients. Having a positive attitude makes all the difference I think and makes life much more pleasant.
8. Jiffy corn bread mix. Without it corn bake, my favorite Thanksgiving recipe, would not be possible.
9. My straightener. Very superficial, but I love how soft and shiny it makes my hair feel and it's lasted for 4 years now. Very impressive.
10. Friends and family. Obviously.

and finally - I am thankful that I can now let my Christmas spirit enter full swing into my life.

Observation Tuesday: Volume 8

2010-11-16T23:52:00.003-07:00

-Prince William is engaged to Kate Middleton. Now, despite minimal previous interest in the British Royal Family, I find myself deeply infatuated with this royal couple. Also, my inner 7 years old is very jealous she gets to become a princess. Anyways, I think she is gorgeous, well-spoken and appreciate that they were poised in front of the camera in their interviews. Extra tidbit I love is that they got engaged in Kenya while on holiday. I will be on wedding watch until their nuptials next spring or summer (maybe we'll even get married on the same day!).

-I may be spending a lot of money at Michaels over the next several months. My next knitting goal is socks and I've found so many crafting ideas I want to make, including these earrings.

-Thanksgiving is next week! This makes me happy not only because I get to see my future husband, but because then I can justify my Christmas music and snowflake socks. And I have a lot to be thankful for. (Also, Thanksgiving means my annual e-mail Christmas countdown will be starting soon after! Spread the word! hooray!)

-I am a firm believer in the fact that TV shows that end with "to be continued..." should be banned. I'm all for intense plots and such but isn't the idea of a tv show is that the sub-plot is wrapped up in that episode? I watched two versions of NCIS tonight and BOTH were not concluded. It was kind of upsetting.

-Finally, for your information, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and forgot to bring my floss with me to the grandparents. Isn't that ironic?

Trying to stay up

2010-11-12T23:04:00.003-07:00

I got put on call at work. Which means you have to stay up until 1 a.m. in case they call you in. It's 12:05 now. Normally at work I don't usually get tired until 3 or 4, when I load up on a cup of coffee and am fine until I come home and crash at around 8. For some reason being home, within walking distance of my bed, in a pair of sweats makes me that much more tired.

To keep myself awake I have watched The Office, Community, Glee and an episode of America's Next Top Model. Don't judge me. My Netflix is currently non-functioning or I'm sure I'd be watching that too. I also currently have this going with some Christmas music. And yes, I know, it's not Thanksgiving, but sometimes Christmas just calls. Maybe Veteran's Day will be my new cut off :) (that link also pertains to the picture - you'll have to do it to find out how great it is)

I wish I could update you on my latest knitting projects but they're all Christmas gifts, so they'll have to wait for another month and a half. And finally in this random assortment of information I'll tell you I made my first batch of my Grandma's Homemade Buns all by myself. This is a big deal. I got so wrapped up in the process I forgot to take pictures. Next time.

P.S. I'm moving again. Yes, I know I just moved into my apartment, but living alone is...lonely. So I decided to move to Tahoka (30 min south of Lubbock) and live with my fiance's grandparents. They are so generous to offer and I could not be more excited about having someone to live with again. Now I get to re-pack everything I own and move out there in a week or so! Get ready for more exciting updates about my life in the country.