It's so hard to believe that it is already Halloween. I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone! It's hard to imagine that Chris and I weren't even engaged at this point last year. We were close though!
Our two year dating and one year engagement anniversary is on November 4th, which is this coming Monday. It feels like I have known Chris for my entire life, and I honestly can't remember being single anymore. I was single a heck of a lot longer than I've been dating/engaged/married! I remember so many nights spent crying in my pillow, wondering if my Prince Charming was out there. For so long, I didn't believe he existed. I thought I'd turn into an old maid with twenty cats and eating a bunch of TV dinners.
But I was proven so wrong!
My life became much more complete when I went out with Chris for our first date on November 4th, 2011. On that day, I knew I had met my soul mate and the man I would spend the rest of my life with. On November 4th, 2012, it became official :)
This is only the second Halloween Chris and I have spent together. Last year, we carved pumpkins with some friends and dressed up to go to a local dance hall Halloween weekend. This year, we carved pumpkins for our date night and are dressing up to go to our cousins' house to hang out and eat chili while the kids go trick-or-treating. We haven't really set any traditions yet, besides carving pumpkins at some point and dressing up to do something. It makes me really excited, though, to come up with traditions for our little family.
I love the fact that we're spending the evening with family, especially since this is the first Halloween for our niece (she's actually Chris's cousin's daughter, but we're referred to as Aunt Taryn and Uncle Chris, so I consider her my niece (: ). My family used to go to a Halloween get-together with my cousins and their family, and I have so many great memories of that.
Chris and I volunteered last night at our church's Fall Family Fest. They use the youth building's parking lot to bring in a ton of inflatables and games for the kids in the community to come and have good, clean, non-scary fun. Our task was to manage the Noah's Ark inflatable that was a jump-house for the pre-schoolers. It was so sweet to see so many little ones dressed up in their cute costumes and have a blast while jumping around and being kids. It was also such a joy to see their moms and dads take such delight in watching their children laugh and play. It makes me so excited to one day be like that with our kids; to dress them up, to watch them play, to make sweet memories with them that, I hope, they remember for the rest of their lives.
I think about the different traditions I want to have with our family. I want to make Halloween a big deal; not because it's Halloween, but because I think it's an amazing opportunity to have some family-time and create so many memories with each other, especially when we have young kids. I want to make the picking out of the costumes and the searching for the perfect pumpkin a huge deal, something that we do as a family. I want the trick-or-treating and then eating the candy while watching Charlie Brown something they look forward to every year. I want to make this a sweet opportunity to pour into our kids for as long as we can. I know they will eventually find it all 'un-cool' and want to spend time with their friends instead. Thank goodness that's a looong ways away though :)
It may be two or three more Halloweens before we have a child to dress up and make traditions with. Just means two or three more Halloweens I get to spend with my love and having 'adult' traditions :) I'm excited about our costume for tonight, and I can't wait to post pictures of it!
Oh, I sure do enjoy this time of year!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
The Scariness of Offering Everything
This weekend was a fairly big weekend for the Johns house!
On Friday, I became a brunette with bangs. I LOVE it!! I told Chris I was getting my hair done, but he didn't want to see it until he got home. So, I did what he asked and carried on with my house chores until he walked in the door. By his reaction when he first saw it, I think he really likes it too :)
On Saturday, we bought a car. I LOVE my car!! It's a 2012 Hyundai Sonata, and it's amazing. We bought this car with the intention of it being our family car until we outgrow it, and it lasting us until it dies. It's spacious, it has the electronic dashboard and stereo, it has XM radio, and I have awesome cup holders.
Plus, it gets 25+ MPG. I heard the choir of angels singing the Hallelujah chorus when we read the little sheet of details attached to the window and noticed that.
Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend for us and it makes me super happy.
Chris and I are now 'officially' members of Warren Baptist. I put 'officially' in quotations because we still have to make sure our letters from our previous churches are transferred over, but we've taken all of the steps we were asked to, so I consider us being members now.
We went to the worship service Sunday, although I was really wanting to lay in bed all morning. Both of us did not get into bed until 2:00am, so knowing that my alarm was going to go off at 8:15am just was not sounding great. This girl likes her sleep, and 6 1/2 hours just wasn't enough. But, Chris had a friend meeting us at the service, so we really needed to go.
I'm so glad we did, too.
Our pastor has been taking us through the book of Romans throughout this entire year in a series titled, 'Hope Rising.' It's all based on the verse Romans 15:13 -
'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.'
The past three weeks or so, we've been focusing on Romans 12. This chapter is stocked full of all kinds of amazing-yet-challenging lessons. In a nutshell, it tells us to live a life that is fully submitted and committed to God; we shouldn't live like our only concern is ourselves, our gifts did not come from anything we have done but only by the Grace given to us, and this isn't our world to find our own vengeance, but to leave vengeance to God.
Like I said, it's stuffed to the maximum of just pure awesomeness.
Once the sermon was finished, we started singing. I can't even tell you what song we were singing, and I'm not sure I can tell you a chorus or a verse from it, but I can tell you that I was distracted by a thought that overcame me from singing it.
It's really scary to tell God to have your all.
Growing up in church, hearing 'Give God your all' is nothing foreign. You are told this as early as preschool years, and it's told more in-depth as you mature throughout the ministry. It's one of the basics and basis of Christianity.
It's sung in so many worship songs. You don't become immune to it, but you get in the habit of singing it without truly thinking about it. I have been guilty of this for quite a few years now.
I was convicted of this Sunday morning.
One song we did sing Sunday that I do remember and know the words to is 'Hosanna.' It's sung by Hillsong United, and the bridge goes like this:
On Friday, I became a brunette with bangs. I LOVE it!! I told Chris I was getting my hair done, but he didn't want to see it until he got home. So, I did what he asked and carried on with my house chores until he walked in the door. By his reaction when he first saw it, I think he really likes it too :)
On Saturday, we bought a car. I LOVE my car!! It's a 2012 Hyundai Sonata, and it's amazing. We bought this car with the intention of it being our family car until we outgrow it, and it lasting us until it dies. It's spacious, it has the electronic dashboard and stereo, it has XM radio, and I have awesome cup holders.
Plus, it gets 25+ MPG. I heard the choir of angels singing the Hallelujah chorus when we read the little sheet of details attached to the window and noticed that.
Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend for us and it makes me super happy.
Chris and I are now 'officially' members of Warren Baptist. I put 'officially' in quotations because we still have to make sure our letters from our previous churches are transferred over, but we've taken all of the steps we were asked to, so I consider us being members now.
We went to the worship service Sunday, although I was really wanting to lay in bed all morning. Both of us did not get into bed until 2:00am, so knowing that my alarm was going to go off at 8:15am just was not sounding great. This girl likes her sleep, and 6 1/2 hours just wasn't enough. But, Chris had a friend meeting us at the service, so we really needed to go.
I'm so glad we did, too.
Our pastor has been taking us through the book of Romans throughout this entire year in a series titled, 'Hope Rising.' It's all based on the verse Romans 15:13 -
'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.'
The past three weeks or so, we've been focusing on Romans 12. This chapter is stocked full of all kinds of amazing-yet-challenging lessons. In a nutshell, it tells us to live a life that is fully submitted and committed to God; we shouldn't live like our only concern is ourselves, our gifts did not come from anything we have done but only by the Grace given to us, and this isn't our world to find our own vengeance, but to leave vengeance to God.
Like I said, it's stuffed to the maximum of just pure awesomeness.
Once the sermon was finished, we started singing. I can't even tell you what song we were singing, and I'm not sure I can tell you a chorus or a verse from it, but I can tell you that I was distracted by a thought that overcame me from singing it.
It's really scary to tell God to have your all.
Growing up in church, hearing 'Give God your all' is nothing foreign. You are told this as early as preschool years, and it's told more in-depth as you mature throughout the ministry. It's one of the basics and basis of Christianity.
It's sung in so many worship songs. You don't become immune to it, but you get in the habit of singing it without truly thinking about it. I have been guilty of this for quite a few years now.
I was convicted of this Sunday morning.
One song we did sing Sunday that I do remember and know the words to is 'Hosanna.' It's sung by Hillsong United, and the bridge goes like this:
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
The first four lines are pretty easy to sing. My heart needs to be healed, my eyes need to be opened, and I need to be shown how to love the un-loveable (after all, I was un-loveable when Christ called me to become His beloved). I want my heart to break for what the world doesn't care about, what the world has thrown aside.
It isn't hard to desire these things.
But that fifth line. The one that's just mixed in with the rest and kind of goes under the radar; unnoticed and rarely thought through. I stopped to think about it this time.
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause.
Not just part of me. Not just what will keep me safe. Not just what I feel like I can give.
Everything.
This includes my time, my energy, my thoughts, my actions.
My family.
My husband.
My life.
Everything.
Singing this line to the Lord is saying, 'I am willing to let You do whatever Your will is to advance Your kingdom. If it calls for my time, energy, thoughts and actions, I'm right there. If you need my family, I'll give it. If you want my husband, I'll let go. If you desire me, I'm Yours.'
This doesn't give the assurance that it won't cost us greatly. It may only cost some time out of the country, or money that we may need to pay a bill or two, or the inconvenience of changing our plans to something totally different (if you've read my previous entry, you know that giving up my ability to plan is really hard for me!).
But it may call for more.
It may call my family to go where we're not guaranteed to be protected. It may call for my husband to be away from me. It may call me to die.
The Lord doesn't say He will tell us what He will use us for, He just says it will advance His kingdom.
That is the most terrifying thought to me.
It's not that I don't trust the Lord! Not at all. It's the commitment of saying, 'Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause.' It's an all-or-nothing deal for Him.
God could call us to pack up and move across the world to an unknown land full of strangers, and ask us to be missionaries to those who hate Christ. He could call us to do this after we've started a family, so we would have to take our children into this new life too. He may call us to stay home, but to use something such as an illness or a tragedy to advance His cause. He could use the death of myself or someone I love to spread His message.
You don't know how you will be used in His kingdom's cause when you tell God that everything you are is available to His will.
That's terrifying to me. Absolutely terrifying.
It's not so hard to offer up myself to this unknown plan, but throwing the uncertainty of how the Lord will use my family, my husband, my future children...it scares me to my core.
While they were playing the song that I cannot recall the name to at worship service, I started tearing up. I played it off as if my eyes were watering, but they were true tears. It dawned on me that I cannot sing the words that declare my life, EVERYTHING I am, to be the Lord's and at His mercy to use unless I am willing to be 100% committed to it. Am I able to stand before you and say that I have given the Lord everything I am for His kingdom's cause? Not entirely.
Being honest here!
I can't tell you that I have given God everything. I'm scared of what that will bring.
I don't feel this is entirely a trust thing for me. I trust that the Lord will do His will and it is perfect beyond measure. I trust that, whatever He has planned for me, He will see through and provide. I just don't want to have to trust Him in a way that's required when tragedy strikes, or when you're sent to a foreign land with no one to help, or when you're faced with an illness that could claim a life.
I don't want to have to exercise my faith and trust beyond what I can imagine.
That's what terrifies me the most.
After we left church, we went about our lives as usual. Lunch, chores, meeting up with my mom and sister for a little bit; the usual. I kind of blocked this revelation I had at church out for a little while; out-of-sight, out-of-mind deal. I didn't want to think about it, because I knew the choice I needed to make. I knew I needed to sing those words, declaring to the Lord that everything I am and have is His and He can use however he sees fit. I just didn't want to make it.
After blocking it out for the past couple of days, I feel like I am finally ready to seriously pray about this fear being lifted and my faith being strengthened. I still hope the Lord does not call me to test my trust and faith far beyond my comfort zone, but I am wanting to have the peace that, if He does, He is faithful and more than worthy of my trust. Besides, there's a reason my favorite verse is John 16:33:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Life is and will be, no matter what, wonderful. Not because of anything I have said or will say, done or will do; my life is and will be wonderful because the Lord is greater than my greatest fear, and He is worthy to be praised.
Definitely not saying there won't be a time where I struggle and lose my sight on what is Perfect. But I can say that I am never abandoned. I am never out of His sight. I am forever His and He is forever mine.
After I got through my mental block on this situation and struggle of mine, I started feeling a little more at-peace. I am now able to look past the 'bad stuff' that can happen and start looking at the good that comes from giving everything over to the Lord. I've been recalling the mission trips I took to Brazil back in high school and the absolute joy I received from it, and it's got my wheels a-spinnin'...
Chris and I have talked about how we would like to do a short-term mission trip together. I think it may be time to start putting a little more action to that talk, especially since we're at a time in our lives where we can go without many limitations or distractions.
I feel like this past weekend was huge change for us. Although most of the change was for me, I think it's definitely affected us as a couple. To me, it's felt like that I finally stepped out of that young-bride, still-adjusting-to-my-new-life role into my wife role. I don't feel like the young adult I was just a few months ago, and I definitely don't look like her either. I have officially transformed into Mrs. Taryn Johns.
And I absolutely love it!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Go Go Power Rangers!
I just want to start off by saying that I have a completely new hairstyle that I absolutely LOVE! I cannot post pictures of it yet, though. My husband said he wanted to be surprised and see it in person, so I'm going to wait until after he sees it to put anything on here or on Facebook.
But I am super pumped about it!
Continuing on.
While I was shopping for everything I needed for our date night last week, I ran across something that I could not resist in buying.
It wasn't clothes, wasn't jewelry, wasn't a purse.
It was a DVD.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season Two, Volume Two, to be exact.
30 exciting episodes on 3 DVDs!
I saw my childhood flash before my eyes when I glanced at this glorious sight. It took me back to 1994, when my cousin Wesley and I would sit in front of the TV at 4 o'clock on channel 11. We never really cared about time or keeping up with anything, except when it came to The Power Rangers. I, obviously, loved the Pink Ranger, and Wesley usually liked the Red. We would play Power Rangers for hours and hours, and it would never get old.
I used to carpool with a friend of mine to the dance studio once a week. She had the huge Yellow and Pink Ranger action figures, so we played that every single time we were in the car. Since they were hers, I was always the Yellow Ranger. I did not like giving up the Pink Ranger, but if that's what it took to play with them, then I was willing to make the sacrifice.
Yesterday, I decided to finally pull out the DVDs and watch a few of the episodes. I had quite a few thoughts as I was watching them that I would like to share!
First, I never knew how awesome-ly cheesy the show is. The acting, the special effects, the dialogue, everything. It's so cheesy, but so awesome.
Second, I never realized how awesome they were at karate! As a kid watching it, they're real Power Rangers, so of course they can kick and flip like that! But now, obviously knowing that it's all pretend, it's incredible to watch them do all of their own karate moves and flip across the screen. I was really impressed!
Third, and finally, I never knew how 'wholesome' the show was, especially compared to what kids watch now. The series that I watched of The Power Rangers filmed from 1993 through 1996. I'm sure what they put in their show was fairly standard for then, but compared to today's shows, it's almost void.
Of course, there was a little violence. They were Power Rangers, fighting the evil Rita and Lord Zedd's monsters that were sent to Angel Grove to terrorize the world. Sometimes they had to also defend themselves from Putties; these ugly gray creatures that would do silly dances when they appeared to attack the Rangers. Kind words did not re-direct the ill-intent of these 'bad people,' so, of course, they used some of their martial arts moves. When that didn't work, they called on their Zords; mythical creatures that appeared and armed them to defeat the monsters. They used some swords, some lasers, and other random tactics the special effects artists could come up with. But you never saw anyone 'die.' You knew the Putties were fake, so watching them crumble away didn't mirror death. Lord Zedd could always make more. The monsters were made out of inanimate objects or to imitate different animals, but you never considered them dead either when they fell to the ground. There were no bodies, no mention of death; only defend and defeat. I feel like that's a little contrary to what some kids watch today, at least it seems like it.
It always had good messages too. Some of the ones I watched yesterday talked about how getting an education is important, all play and no work is not a good idea, and some things are too big to tackle on your own; you sometimes need help. Of course, they delivered them in cheesy way, but they were still presented to those watching as entertaining yet lessons-learned throughout all of their episodes. There aren't any innuendos, no foul or suggestive language, nothing that would make a parent question the show due to dialogue. I feel like that is such a long-lost thing now. With the exception of Disney Junior and Nick Junior, I would not feel comfortable turning on a children's channel and letting my child watch whatever comes on. Not even PBS. There's always something being said or being slipped in or in the way it's being said that I don't feel my child should hear. Movies, too! Can't even rely on Disney to always deliver a movie that you don't have to worry about.
Of course, you will have the people who say,' I don't want my children watching a show that's all about mythical powers and creatures.' I get that, and that's completely okay! But I would rather have more shows where we choose to not watch them because of the 'theme' of the show rather than the content and the dialogue.
All in all, I once again fell in love with some Power Rangers. I'm hoping to track down and buy season one and the rest of season two, because I'm super pumped about showing these to my kids one of these days. I hope to have a little Red Ranger and a little Pink Ranger running around our living room, pretending to defeat Lord Zedd and his Putties while singing the theme song.
Or we can have a Red Ranger and a Blue Ranger.
Or a Pink and a Yellow Ranger.
Either way, I'm excited about passing down some of my childhood to the next generation and hoping that they enjoy it just as much as I did.
And I don't mind watching it with them either, that's always a plus.
But I am super pumped about it!
Continuing on.
While I was shopping for everything I needed for our date night last week, I ran across something that I could not resist in buying.
It wasn't clothes, wasn't jewelry, wasn't a purse.
It was a DVD.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season Two, Volume Two, to be exact.
30 exciting episodes on 3 DVDs!
I saw my childhood flash before my eyes when I glanced at this glorious sight. It took me back to 1994, when my cousin Wesley and I would sit in front of the TV at 4 o'clock on channel 11. We never really cared about time or keeping up with anything, except when it came to The Power Rangers. I, obviously, loved the Pink Ranger, and Wesley usually liked the Red. We would play Power Rangers for hours and hours, and it would never get old.
I used to carpool with a friend of mine to the dance studio once a week. She had the huge Yellow and Pink Ranger action figures, so we played that every single time we were in the car. Since they were hers, I was always the Yellow Ranger. I did not like giving up the Pink Ranger, but if that's what it took to play with them, then I was willing to make the sacrifice.
Yesterday, I decided to finally pull out the DVDs and watch a few of the episodes. I had quite a few thoughts as I was watching them that I would like to share!
First, I never knew how awesome-ly cheesy the show is. The acting, the special effects, the dialogue, everything. It's so cheesy, but so awesome.
Second, I never realized how awesome they were at karate! As a kid watching it, they're real Power Rangers, so of course they can kick and flip like that! But now, obviously knowing that it's all pretend, it's incredible to watch them do all of their own karate moves and flip across the screen. I was really impressed!
Third, and finally, I never knew how 'wholesome' the show was, especially compared to what kids watch now. The series that I watched of The Power Rangers filmed from 1993 through 1996. I'm sure what they put in their show was fairly standard for then, but compared to today's shows, it's almost void.
Of course, there was a little violence. They were Power Rangers, fighting the evil Rita and Lord Zedd's monsters that were sent to Angel Grove to terrorize the world. Sometimes they had to also defend themselves from Putties; these ugly gray creatures that would do silly dances when they appeared to attack the Rangers. Kind words did not re-direct the ill-intent of these 'bad people,' so, of course, they used some of their martial arts moves. When that didn't work, they called on their Zords; mythical creatures that appeared and armed them to defeat the monsters. They used some swords, some lasers, and other random tactics the special effects artists could come up with. But you never saw anyone 'die.' You knew the Putties were fake, so watching them crumble away didn't mirror death. Lord Zedd could always make more. The monsters were made out of inanimate objects or to imitate different animals, but you never considered them dead either when they fell to the ground. There were no bodies, no mention of death; only defend and defeat. I feel like that's a little contrary to what some kids watch today, at least it seems like it.
It always had good messages too. Some of the ones I watched yesterday talked about how getting an education is important, all play and no work is not a good idea, and some things are too big to tackle on your own; you sometimes need help. Of course, they delivered them in cheesy way, but they were still presented to those watching as entertaining yet lessons-learned throughout all of their episodes. There aren't any innuendos, no foul or suggestive language, nothing that would make a parent question the show due to dialogue. I feel like that is such a long-lost thing now. With the exception of Disney Junior and Nick Junior, I would not feel comfortable turning on a children's channel and letting my child watch whatever comes on. Not even PBS. There's always something being said or being slipped in or in the way it's being said that I don't feel my child should hear. Movies, too! Can't even rely on Disney to always deliver a movie that you don't have to worry about.
Of course, you will have the people who say,' I don't want my children watching a show that's all about mythical powers and creatures.' I get that, and that's completely okay! But I would rather have more shows where we choose to not watch them because of the 'theme' of the show rather than the content and the dialogue.
All in all, I once again fell in love with some Power Rangers. I'm hoping to track down and buy season one and the rest of season two, because I'm super pumped about showing these to my kids one of these days. I hope to have a little Red Ranger and a little Pink Ranger running around our living room, pretending to defeat Lord Zedd and his Putties while singing the theme song.
Or we can have a Red Ranger and a Blue Ranger.
Or a Pink and a Yellow Ranger.
Either way, I'm excited about passing down some of my childhood to the next generation and hoping that they enjoy it just as much as I did.
And I don't mind watching it with them either, that's always a plus.
That's so true! Thought that was hilarious and needed to be put on here :)
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Our October Date
I've been a little M.I.A. for the past few days. But I'm back! So on to writing another entry.
I had mentioned in a previous entry that I had proposed to my husband that we each take six months out of the year (I have the even-numbered months, he has odd) to plan a date for the other. We decided to start it this month, and since it's the tenth month, it's my turn!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous while planning this! I didn't want to do the normal 'dinner and a movie' date, because I feel like that's kind of a cop-out for us. We don't have any children or any pets yet, so dinner and a movie is not exactly something that we can't do very often. We usually have at least one day every weekend free and we always have the house to the two of us, so we can be a little more elaborate and imaginative with our 'planned' date nights.
Since it's October, I definitely wanted to do something that had to do with Halloween and the fall season. So what goes with both?
Pumpkins.
Pumpkins are the staple of Halloween and Fall. I always know my favorite time of the year has arrived when Starbucks introduces it's Pumpkin Spice Latte. There's something about pumpkins that just makes me so stinkin' happy.
So, let's have a date that's all about pumpkins!
I originally was going to make us a picnic and eat at one of the local parks, but I decided to just go out to eat at a restaurant instead. Picnics this time of year can be tricky, especially since the temperature can drop fairly quickly and being cold during a picnic does not sound like a ton of fun to me. I didn't want to take any chances, so I picked Bonefish Grill instead. It has nothing to do with pumpkins, but it has Bang Bang Shrimp. That's a great enough reason to steer away from the pumpkin-theme for just a wee bit.
I kept the entire date a secret from Chris. I even drove the whole time, so he really didn't have an idea of what we were going. It made it even more fun to completely surprise him! And I enjoyed seeing his face of confusion and his many questions about where we were going next.
Before we headed to dinner, we stopped by a local church who has a huge pumpkin patch. They're not on a vine, but they have a ton of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes available to pick off the crates, and that's about as close as you can get to it around here. It's usually crowded on most nights leading up to Halloween, but there's always a ton of pumpkins available to buy.
Until we went.
I'm guessing they stock up their crates once on Saturdays, the day after we went. There were still a bunch of pumpkins, just not the selection I was hoping for. No worries though! We still found us two pumpkins :)
I had mentioned in a previous entry that I had proposed to my husband that we each take six months out of the year (I have the even-numbered months, he has odd) to plan a date for the other. We decided to start it this month, and since it's the tenth month, it's my turn!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous while planning this! I didn't want to do the normal 'dinner and a movie' date, because I feel like that's kind of a cop-out for us. We don't have any children or any pets yet, so dinner and a movie is not exactly something that we can't do very often. We usually have at least one day every weekend free and we always have the house to the two of us, so we can be a little more elaborate and imaginative with our 'planned' date nights.
Since it's October, I definitely wanted to do something that had to do with Halloween and the fall season. So what goes with both?
Pumpkins.
Pumpkins are the staple of Halloween and Fall. I always know my favorite time of the year has arrived when Starbucks introduces it's Pumpkin Spice Latte. There's something about pumpkins that just makes me so stinkin' happy.
So, let's have a date that's all about pumpkins!
I originally was going to make us a picnic and eat at one of the local parks, but I decided to just go out to eat at a restaurant instead. Picnics this time of year can be tricky, especially since the temperature can drop fairly quickly and being cold during a picnic does not sound like a ton of fun to me. I didn't want to take any chances, so I picked Bonefish Grill instead. It has nothing to do with pumpkins, but it has Bang Bang Shrimp. That's a great enough reason to steer away from the pumpkin-theme for just a wee bit.
I kept the entire date a secret from Chris. I even drove the whole time, so he really didn't have an idea of what we were going. It made it even more fun to completely surprise him! And I enjoyed seeing his face of confusion and his many questions about where we were going next.
Before we headed to dinner, we stopped by a local church who has a huge pumpkin patch. They're not on a vine, but they have a ton of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes available to pick off the crates, and that's about as close as you can get to it around here. It's usually crowded on most nights leading up to Halloween, but there's always a ton of pumpkins available to buy.
Until we went.
I'm guessing they stock up their crates once on Saturdays, the day after we went. There were still a bunch of pumpkins, just not the selection I was hoping for. No worries though! We still found us two pumpkins :)
After we purchased our pumpkins, I then drove us over to Bonefish, where we had an awesome dinner. It was so nice to be able to sit across from Chris and just talk. There was no TV, no laundry, no dinner to cook. Just the two of us with all the time in the world to enjoy each other's company. But the restaurant does not have all the time in the world too, so we ended up leaving about an hour or so later.
After we finished dinner, we headed back to the house to carve our pumpkins. Earlier that day, I had gone to Wal-Mart and Kroger to get all of our supplies, plus some ingredients for a couple of desserts that I was going to make (more details on that coming up!). I wanted to have as much as possible done ahead of time, so that way I could just focus on Chris and our time together.
It took us quite a while to carve our pumpkins, but I think they turned out great! We had a great time laughing and cutting up with each other too. I think that's what made it so fun - not the pumpkins and carving out our masterpieces, but just, once again, spending that undivided attention with each other.
I never knew how much I would cherish those moments of undivided attention with my husband.
Once we finally finished our pumpkins, I got out the LED lights I had bought to put into them. Only then did I see that they each needed a 9V battery that was NOT included. So annoying. So, real candles it was! And I think they turned out super cute :)
Chris's is on the left, mine is on the right. Aren't they awesome?!
Once we cleaned up the guts and the utensils, I then brought out the desserts I had baked earlier! I was super ambitious with this date.
Before Chris got home and we started our date, I had baked a Caramel Apple Cobbler and a Pumpkin Crunch Cake. I should've only baked one since I still have over half of them in my fridge now, but they looked so good! I altered each recipe a little (I used Sprite instead of butter in the Apple Cobbler and I used 3/4 cup butter and no pecans in the Pumpkin Crunch), but they were still really good.
I also made us some Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate, which was pretty good. I think I may do less pumpkin and more white chocolate next time, just because the pumpkin wasn't quite 'pureed' and I couldn't taste the chocolate. Still good though!
Once I had made the hot chocolate and loaded a plate full of the desserts for us to share, I popped 'It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!' into the DVD player and cuddled up next to Chris. He had never seen it before, which I found it so hard to believe! And since it had to do with pumpkins, I thought it was a perfect way to finish our date. Unfortunately, we were both still full from dinner, yet I was determined to eat some desserts. I probably stretched my tummy a little farther than it should go, but it was super yummy and so worth it.
All in all, I think the date was a huge success. It seemed like Chris really enjoyed it, and I know I had a blast. I don't think it was the pumpkin carving, or even the Bang Bang Shrimp that made it great. It was the simple fact that it was intimate time we could spend together. No work. No interruption. Just us.
I'm so glad we've decided to plan dates for each other throughout the year. At least I know that, for one day/night, he is all mine :)
I'm excited to see what Chris comes up with for next month...
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Car Shopping Fun
Let me just say that I am super pumped.
Why, you may ask?
Because we're about to do some car shopping! Yay!
If you read my post from yesterday, you know that I love to shop. Doesn't matter what it's for, I will shop for it and be absolutely the happiest girl in the world.
Car shopping is no exception.
This will be the next biggest shopping experience Chris and I have shared together, biggest being our house. This isn't quite as major as a house, nor as much of a dyer need since he has a work truck to drive while I drive his car, so we can be a little more picky.
We sold my truck a couple of weeks ago, and that was a huge blessing. We hadn't planned on selling it this soon, but when we found out that I was driving on four tires that could explode at any given moment, plus it needed a lot of maintenance, we decided that it just wasn't worth putting that much money into it. After all, the truck was 13 years old with a V8 engine (I think that's right...either way,it's a gas-guzzler). Not super practical to drive back and forth to work like I have been for the past 3 1/2 years, and won't be practical when we have to get a car seat in and out of it (which will not be any time soon, not trying to make a sly announcement here).
I used to drive a Chevy Impala, which I totaled. I loved it, but once I found out I had bent the car frame after running into the back of someone going only 15-20 MPH AT MOST, which did very little damage to her car, I decided that the car is too unsafe to drive. Imagine if I had hit her at a higher speed, or I was hit on the side. Way too much of a risk, I think I'll be looking at some foreign cars instead.
Chris and I have talked about this a good bit. Well, it was more me asking questions of what I can/cannot look at and him giving me a few things to think about while looking. I'm glad he has, though. He's a lot better at these decisions than I am, and since he does our finances, I figured he has a bigger say-so too. We've come to the agreement that we want either a Honda, Hyundai, or Toyota. We prefer leather seats, fairly room-y back seat, and good gas mileage with minimal miles, all while staying within our budget.
Shouldn't be too hard, right?
So much harder than finding a cute top for a date night.
You have so many different factors: go with a dealer or private party. If you go with a dealer do you use a large dealership or a smaller one? Buy one with better gas mileage but high miles or vice versa? Then you have the same car with leather seats in twelve different color-combination options.
It's so daggum much, and so daggum overwhelming.
We're not in a huge hurry, so we can take our time and really try to find what we want. But I'm starting to think that may not be as great of a thing as I was expecting.
Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? What we should not skimp out on or what we can have a little leeway with? We're looking to make this car last us a long, long while.
Help!!
Why, you may ask?
Because we're about to do some car shopping! Yay!
If you read my post from yesterday, you know that I love to shop. Doesn't matter what it's for, I will shop for it and be absolutely the happiest girl in the world.
Car shopping is no exception.
This will be the next biggest shopping experience Chris and I have shared together, biggest being our house. This isn't quite as major as a house, nor as much of a dyer need since he has a work truck to drive while I drive his car, so we can be a little more picky.
We sold my truck a couple of weeks ago, and that was a huge blessing. We hadn't planned on selling it this soon, but when we found out that I was driving on four tires that could explode at any given moment, plus it needed a lot of maintenance, we decided that it just wasn't worth putting that much money into it. After all, the truck was 13 years old with a V8 engine (I think that's right...either way,it's a gas-guzzler). Not super practical to drive back and forth to work like I have been for the past 3 1/2 years, and won't be practical when we have to get a car seat in and out of it (which will not be any time soon, not trying to make a sly announcement here).
I used to drive a Chevy Impala, which I totaled. I loved it, but once I found out I had bent the car frame after running into the back of someone going only 15-20 MPH AT MOST, which did very little damage to her car, I decided that the car is too unsafe to drive. Imagine if I had hit her at a higher speed, or I was hit on the side. Way too much of a risk, I think I'll be looking at some foreign cars instead.
Chris and I have talked about this a good bit. Well, it was more me asking questions of what I can/cannot look at and him giving me a few things to think about while looking. I'm glad he has, though. He's a lot better at these decisions than I am, and since he does our finances, I figured he has a bigger say-so too. We've come to the agreement that we want either a Honda, Hyundai, or Toyota. We prefer leather seats, fairly room-y back seat, and good gas mileage with minimal miles, all while staying within our budget.
Shouldn't be too hard, right?
So much harder than finding a cute top for a date night.
You have so many different factors: go with a dealer or private party. If you go with a dealer do you use a large dealership or a smaller one? Buy one with better gas mileage but high miles or vice versa? Then you have the same car with leather seats in twelve different color-combination options.
It's so daggum much, and so daggum overwhelming.
We're not in a huge hurry, so we can take our time and really try to find what we want. But I'm starting to think that may not be as great of a thing as I was expecting.
Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? What we should not skimp out on or what we can have a little leeway with? We're looking to make this car last us a long, long while.
Help!!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Hi, My Name is Taryn & I am a Shop-aholic
After such a heavy post on Monday, I couldn't bring myself to write yesterday. It's hard to justify moving on with your life when you know others are still coping with such loss, but we must. Thoughts and prayers are still with those who are dealing with the death of their loved ones.
I finally pulled out my fall/winter clothes this past weekend. Unfortunately, during the move, I have lost/misplaced a few pieces, including my black booties. I know I brought them! I just have no clue where I put them. It's so sad, because I now have no black boots. At all. Whatsoever.
I cannot make it through this time of year without my black boots, but for some reason, I have a love/hate relationship with shoe shopping.
I LOVE trying on shoes and checking them out in the little floor mirrors the stores have attached onto the benches. I can stay in a shoe store and try on different shoes for hours and be perfectly content. But I HATE buying shoes. They can be so expensive! And I always want more than one pair. Rack Room Shoes has their 'Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off' going on all of the time, which is really nice, but it still costs me $80 for boots that may last me through one-two seasons!
As much as I love to shop, I also love to save money. Now, I will definitely spend some money! But I enjoy it a lot more if I know I have saved myself enough to justify the purchase. And, many times, I have a hard time justifying my shoe purchases when I'm only saving $10 or so, especially if the bill is still well over $50. It's just so hard to watch all of the hard-earned money slip away to what I'm going to wear on my feet.
I know I need to break down and buy a pair of boots that are going to last me longer than a year or two. In the long run, it is cheaper, and it does make more sense.
I just can't do it.
Anyways, done with my shoe rant.
After pulling out all of my cold clothes, I realized I didn't have as much as I thought I did. Which, you know what that means... even more SHOPPING! Not only do I need to go boot shopping, but I need to go clothes shopping.
Do you know how happy this makes me??
It is taking everything in me to not grab the baby out of his crib from his nap, put him in the car (in his car seat, of course), drive to the mall that isn't open yet, and go shopping in stores that are still locked.
It makes me that happy.
Of course, my wallet is not quite as happy as I am, but I think I can do some bargain shopping and hit some sales to help out with that.
I really don't understand why I have such a huge obsession with shopping and clothes. It's not like I work a job where I have to dress up and look cute every day. My daily wear is normally gym shorts and a t-shirt, which is not exactly what I am shopping for all the time. But I love spending time in a store just browsing through the racks, holding the item up to my body to check and see if it would look good, then put it right back. I have absolutely no problem doing that all afternoon. I honestly don't need to buy anything! Even though that rarely happens. But I just enjoy being in the shopping atmosphere.
I just wish my husband enjoyed it as much as I do.
I asked him to go shopping with me a few Sundays ago, and he finally agreed to. We went to the mall, and literally spent less than 1 hour there before he was ready to leave. I was hoping he would make it a little longer than that, but I was just happy that he went with me at all. I think I bought some girly stuff at Aerie and my foundation at Sephora, and that was all I could make it to before I saw Chris start checking his phone and looking for the exit.
Chris likes to go shopping with a purpose. He enjoys going to get what he wants/needs, but then he's ready to go. I, on the other hand, enjoy shopping because it's shopping and I don't have to have an agenda or a list of what I need to get. This is where Chris and I are completely opposite of our typical personalities, and we're still completely opposite from each other.
I am a planner. I like to plan how my day is going to look so I can prepare for it. Mainly to know whether or not I need to fix my hair and put on makeup, or I can look like greasy death all day and it be okay. When a day does not go how I've planned or it's been changed without my consent or control, it really throws me off. Like, you don't want to talk to me unless you're apologizing or changing the plan back. I just cannot handle it. I've always been like that, though. I remember when I was young and I would secretly cry when plans didn't happen like I was told they were or were changed without my say so.
Who am I kidding, I still cry sometimes when that happens.
Chris is the total opposite. The guy doesn't have a planning bone in his body. His whole life was always fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of deal, so planning isn't something he does. Changing plans doesn't really bother him either. He's so chill and go-with-the-flow, nothing like that throws him off. Ever.
Except when it comes to shopping.
Chris has a plan. He knows where he needs to go, what he needs to get, how much money he needs to spend, and how quickly he can get out of there. Changing or altering that doesn't always work well with him. Now, he doesn't get upset or thrown off like I do, but he does get bored and/or agitated when he has to stay longer than he wants to.
I could care less about a plan. I just want to shop. A lot. Wherever, whenever, whatever. Just take me shopping.
It's funny to think about how alike but also how different we are. I guess that's why we get along so well.
Bottom line, I need to go shopping. Of course, I will give Chris the option of joining me, but I have a feeling football and a couch will be calling his name a little more than standing outside of dressing rooms while I try on everything in the store.
That's okay though! Just means I get to give him a fashion show when I get home :) Look out, Mall! Here I come!
I finally pulled out my fall/winter clothes this past weekend. Unfortunately, during the move, I have lost/misplaced a few pieces, including my black booties. I know I brought them! I just have no clue where I put them. It's so sad, because I now have no black boots. At all. Whatsoever.
I cannot make it through this time of year without my black boots, but for some reason, I have a love/hate relationship with shoe shopping.
I LOVE trying on shoes and checking them out in the little floor mirrors the stores have attached onto the benches. I can stay in a shoe store and try on different shoes for hours and be perfectly content. But I HATE buying shoes. They can be so expensive! And I always want more than one pair. Rack Room Shoes has their 'Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off' going on all of the time, which is really nice, but it still costs me $80 for boots that may last me through one-two seasons!
As much as I love to shop, I also love to save money. Now, I will definitely spend some money! But I enjoy it a lot more if I know I have saved myself enough to justify the purchase. And, many times, I have a hard time justifying my shoe purchases when I'm only saving $10 or so, especially if the bill is still well over $50. It's just so hard to watch all of the hard-earned money slip away to what I'm going to wear on my feet.
I know I need to break down and buy a pair of boots that are going to last me longer than a year or two. In the long run, it is cheaper, and it does make more sense.
I just can't do it.
Anyways, done with my shoe rant.
After pulling out all of my cold clothes, I realized I didn't have as much as I thought I did. Which, you know what that means... even more SHOPPING! Not only do I need to go boot shopping, but I need to go clothes shopping.
Do you know how happy this makes me??
It is taking everything in me to not grab the baby out of his crib from his nap, put him in the car (in his car seat, of course), drive to the mall that isn't open yet, and go shopping in stores that are still locked.
It makes me that happy.
Of course, my wallet is not quite as happy as I am, but I think I can do some bargain shopping and hit some sales to help out with that.
I really don't understand why I have such a huge obsession with shopping and clothes. It's not like I work a job where I have to dress up and look cute every day. My daily wear is normally gym shorts and a t-shirt, which is not exactly what I am shopping for all the time. But I love spending time in a store just browsing through the racks, holding the item up to my body to check and see if it would look good, then put it right back. I have absolutely no problem doing that all afternoon. I honestly don't need to buy anything! Even though that rarely happens. But I just enjoy being in the shopping atmosphere.
I just wish my husband enjoyed it as much as I do.
I asked him to go shopping with me a few Sundays ago, and he finally agreed to. We went to the mall, and literally spent less than 1 hour there before he was ready to leave. I was hoping he would make it a little longer than that, but I was just happy that he went with me at all. I think I bought some girly stuff at Aerie and my foundation at Sephora, and that was all I could make it to before I saw Chris start checking his phone and looking for the exit.
Chris likes to go shopping with a purpose. He enjoys going to get what he wants/needs, but then he's ready to go. I, on the other hand, enjoy shopping because it's shopping and I don't have to have an agenda or a list of what I need to get. This is where Chris and I are completely opposite of our typical personalities, and we're still completely opposite from each other.
I am a planner. I like to plan how my day is going to look so I can prepare for it. Mainly to know whether or not I need to fix my hair and put on makeup, or I can look like greasy death all day and it be okay. When a day does not go how I've planned or it's been changed without my consent or control, it really throws me off. Like, you don't want to talk to me unless you're apologizing or changing the plan back. I just cannot handle it. I've always been like that, though. I remember when I was young and I would secretly cry when plans didn't happen like I was told they were or were changed without my say so.
Who am I kidding, I still cry sometimes when that happens.
Chris is the total opposite. The guy doesn't have a planning bone in his body. His whole life was always fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of deal, so planning isn't something he does. Changing plans doesn't really bother him either. He's so chill and go-with-the-flow, nothing like that throws him off. Ever.
Except when it comes to shopping.
Chris has a plan. He knows where he needs to go, what he needs to get, how much money he needs to spend, and how quickly he can get out of there. Changing or altering that doesn't always work well with him. Now, he doesn't get upset or thrown off like I do, but he does get bored and/or agitated when he has to stay longer than he wants to.
I could care less about a plan. I just want to shop. A lot. Wherever, whenever, whatever. Just take me shopping.
It's funny to think about how alike but also how different we are. I guess that's why we get along so well.
Bottom line, I need to go shopping. Of course, I will give Chris the option of joining me, but I have a feeling football and a couch will be calling his name a little more than standing outside of dressing rooms while I try on everything in the store.
That's okay though! Just means I get to give him a fashion show when I get home :) Look out, Mall! Here I come!
Monday, October 14, 2013
It's Just Not Fair
Death is unavoidable. It's bound to happen. And it doesn't have to have a rhyme or reason as to why, it just happens when it does. When God calls you to leave this earth, He doesn't always give you a chance to say goodbye.
I cannot imagine getting a call from anyone and having them tell me I lost a loved one. Especially in a tragic way. How do you handle that? How do you have the world you have been living in flip completely upside-down and shake you to your core? How do you come to terms with the fact that life is no longer the same, nor will it ever be again?
I've lost two grandfathers and a great-grandmother, plus a few great-aunts and a great-uncle. All still painful, but it's a different kind of pain. With the exception of my grandpa who died when I was 6, all of the others we knew were going to happen in the near future. They were getting older and their health was failing. Some from cancer, another from a heart attack while recovering from pneumonia, and other different instances that allows you to process the idea that they may not make it. I feel that this calls for a different grieving process and way to cope than if it's an unexpected tragedy, especially to someone young.
Yesterday, our little town of Harlem, once again, lost two young lives. A freshman in college and a senior in high school. Two precious lives gone due to an auto accident.
I see so many posts on Facebook with condolences and heavy hearts for the families of these two teenagers. It's such a huge reminder that life is all too fragile and it doesn't come with a guarantee.
I see the friends of the two teens write their last words to them on their posts, most containing a phrase such as 'Fly high' or 'Party it up with Jesus.' Some even have the family members of the two tagged in their posts. I read their posts as if I was reading it about my husband, and I can't get through it. I read it as if it was about my child, and I can't imagine it.
It's not fair.
It's not fair that a parent has to bury the child they brought into this world. It's not fair that they have to tell their child goodbye forever. It's not fair that you have to visit a gravesite to see your child. It's just not fair.
And the phrases 'RIP,' 'Fly high,' 'Party it up with Jesus,' and whatever else they put doesn't do much to ease the pain. You don't want them to Fly High, you want them to be here in your arms so you can say 'I love you' just one more time.
Too often, I take this life I've been given for granted. Way too often, I take everyone else's lives for granted.
I never want to imagine getting the call or visit that I have lost a parent, a sister, or my husband. My eyes fill with tears just even entertaining the thought of it. I don't want to think about having to face this world without them, having to go through the rest of this life without them by my side.
While I'm nannying, Long Island Medium comes on in the afternoon. I don't know if what she does is real or not, but that's not why I'm talking about it. So many of her clients have lost their spouse or their young child to accidents that they never saw coming. The wives talk about raising their children alone and not knowing if they're doing what's best for their family without the husband's guidance. The parents talk about the regrets they have and the heartache of wondering if there was something else they could've done to prevent the passing of their child.
I sit on the couch, and I listen to their stories.
And then I start crying.
What if that ends up being me? What if I find myself in that situation, where my world is shaken to the point where I don't know if I can move on? Can I survive? Can I be strong enough to wake up the next morning and face the day?
I can't tell you that I can.
Many adults have posted statuses with Bible verses and finding hope in the Lord, that His strength is what will get you through. I believe that, 1000% percent, and they are completely right. But, putting myself on the receiving end of that advice, it doesn't give me total comfort. And I think that's okay.
God understands heartache. After all, He couldn't look at His Son while He hung there on a cross. He had to turn His back on Him when the Son cried out. God had called Him to die this death, to take the sins of this world on his shoulders, and to have His Father turn away because He can't look at the evil His Son had taken on. You can't tell me that it didn't hurt God to let His Son suffer and die without Him coming to the rescue.
I don't think... No, I know God doesn't expect us to accept death right away. He doesn't expect us to understand. I'm not sure He even expects us to not question Him and become angry.
After all, we're not God.
We will never understand His ways, nor does He want us to. If we did, then what separates us from Him? But what He does want us to understand is that He is the Ultimate Comforter, the Ultimate Healer, and He can handle your pain. But only when you're ready to accept it.
Even though I know all of this, and it's not that hard to type it out or tell it to others, I can't imagine having to put this into practice. I don't want to think about a day where someone is telling me this. I don't want to have to accept the fact that this can be me at any moment of any day. Life is not promised to be lived long, it's only promised to be lived until God calls it complete.
**SPOILER ALERT**
If you've never seen Steel Magnolias, and you plan on watching it, do not watch the clip! It is a HUGE spoiler!
This is one of my favorite scenes from Steel Magnolias. I cry every single time I watch it. I cried just now! I think Sally Field does a fantastic job at showing the grieving process we go through when someone passes, especially when it's a child.
There is nothing wrong with her reaction, although I think we put a lot of pressure on God-fearing individuals to have the same response as Job: '...the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised' (Job 1:21b). We're not supposed to question why; we're just supposed to accept, to trust God, and to move on with only the memory of our loved ones.
We're humans, not machines.
My heart continues to break for the families and the friends who are dealing with the death of a young man and a young woman. My thoughts and my prayers go to all who have faced or who are facing this situation in their lives. I don't believe time heals all wounds. I believe God heals the spirit of those who finally run to Him, but the wounds never fully go away.
If you're not sure about the tragedy I am talking about, here's an article that was written for the Augusta Chronicle. Please take the time to read. It's short, but it's really good.
The little town of Harlem never fails me. They have rallied behind our football team as the Dogs are now 5-2, they have supported our school and the local businesses so faithfully, and now they're coming together to love on and walking alongside these families who are now trying to cope with this tremendous loss.
I still can't wrap my mind around what all has taken place in the last 30 hours, but I am definitely going home tonight to tell my husband how much I love him, and I'm not taking the time we get with our families for granted any longer.
You can never say I love you too much, and time is precious. Oh, how true that is.
I cannot imagine getting a call from anyone and having them tell me I lost a loved one. Especially in a tragic way. How do you handle that? How do you have the world you have been living in flip completely upside-down and shake you to your core? How do you come to terms with the fact that life is no longer the same, nor will it ever be again?
I've lost two grandfathers and a great-grandmother, plus a few great-aunts and a great-uncle. All still painful, but it's a different kind of pain. With the exception of my grandpa who died when I was 6, all of the others we knew were going to happen in the near future. They were getting older and their health was failing. Some from cancer, another from a heart attack while recovering from pneumonia, and other different instances that allows you to process the idea that they may not make it. I feel that this calls for a different grieving process and way to cope than if it's an unexpected tragedy, especially to someone young.
Yesterday, our little town of Harlem, once again, lost two young lives. A freshman in college and a senior in high school. Two precious lives gone due to an auto accident.
I see so many posts on Facebook with condolences and heavy hearts for the families of these two teenagers. It's such a huge reminder that life is all too fragile and it doesn't come with a guarantee.
I see the friends of the two teens write their last words to them on their posts, most containing a phrase such as 'Fly high' or 'Party it up with Jesus.' Some even have the family members of the two tagged in their posts. I read their posts as if I was reading it about my husband, and I can't get through it. I read it as if it was about my child, and I can't imagine it.
It's not fair.
It's not fair that a parent has to bury the child they brought into this world. It's not fair that they have to tell their child goodbye forever. It's not fair that you have to visit a gravesite to see your child. It's just not fair.
And the phrases 'RIP,' 'Fly high,' 'Party it up with Jesus,' and whatever else they put doesn't do much to ease the pain. You don't want them to Fly High, you want them to be here in your arms so you can say 'I love you' just one more time.
Too often, I take this life I've been given for granted. Way too often, I take everyone else's lives for granted.
I never want to imagine getting the call or visit that I have lost a parent, a sister, or my husband. My eyes fill with tears just even entertaining the thought of it. I don't want to think about having to face this world without them, having to go through the rest of this life without them by my side.
While I'm nannying, Long Island Medium comes on in the afternoon. I don't know if what she does is real or not, but that's not why I'm talking about it. So many of her clients have lost their spouse or their young child to accidents that they never saw coming. The wives talk about raising their children alone and not knowing if they're doing what's best for their family without the husband's guidance. The parents talk about the regrets they have and the heartache of wondering if there was something else they could've done to prevent the passing of their child.
I sit on the couch, and I listen to their stories.
And then I start crying.
What if that ends up being me? What if I find myself in that situation, where my world is shaken to the point where I don't know if I can move on? Can I survive? Can I be strong enough to wake up the next morning and face the day?
I can't tell you that I can.
Many adults have posted statuses with Bible verses and finding hope in the Lord, that His strength is what will get you through. I believe that, 1000% percent, and they are completely right. But, putting myself on the receiving end of that advice, it doesn't give me total comfort. And I think that's okay.
God understands heartache. After all, He couldn't look at His Son while He hung there on a cross. He had to turn His back on Him when the Son cried out. God had called Him to die this death, to take the sins of this world on his shoulders, and to have His Father turn away because He can't look at the evil His Son had taken on. You can't tell me that it didn't hurt God to let His Son suffer and die without Him coming to the rescue.
I don't think... No, I know God doesn't expect us to accept death right away. He doesn't expect us to understand. I'm not sure He even expects us to not question Him and become angry.
After all, we're not God.
We will never understand His ways, nor does He want us to. If we did, then what separates us from Him? But what He does want us to understand is that He is the Ultimate Comforter, the Ultimate Healer, and He can handle your pain. But only when you're ready to accept it.
Even though I know all of this, and it's not that hard to type it out or tell it to others, I can't imagine having to put this into practice. I don't want to think about a day where someone is telling me this. I don't want to have to accept the fact that this can be me at any moment of any day. Life is not promised to be lived long, it's only promised to be lived until God calls it complete.
**SPOILER ALERT**
If you've never seen Steel Magnolias, and you plan on watching it, do not watch the clip! It is a HUGE spoiler!
This is one of my favorite scenes from Steel Magnolias. I cry every single time I watch it. I cried just now! I think Sally Field does a fantastic job at showing the grieving process we go through when someone passes, especially when it's a child.
There is nothing wrong with her reaction, although I think we put a lot of pressure on God-fearing individuals to have the same response as Job: '...the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised' (Job 1:21b). We're not supposed to question why; we're just supposed to accept, to trust God, and to move on with only the memory of our loved ones.
We're humans, not machines.
My heart continues to break for the families and the friends who are dealing with the death of a young man and a young woman. My thoughts and my prayers go to all who have faced or who are facing this situation in their lives. I don't believe time heals all wounds. I believe God heals the spirit of those who finally run to Him, but the wounds never fully go away.
If you're not sure about the tragedy I am talking about, here's an article that was written for the Augusta Chronicle. Please take the time to read. It's short, but it's really good.
The little town of Harlem never fails me. They have rallied behind our football team as the Dogs are now 5-2, they have supported our school and the local businesses so faithfully, and now they're coming together to love on and walking alongside these families who are now trying to cope with this tremendous loss.
I still can't wrap my mind around what all has taken place in the last 30 hours, but I am definitely going home tonight to tell my husband how much I love him, and I'm not taking the time we get with our families for granted any longer.
You can never say I love you too much, and time is precious. Oh, how true that is.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
My First Fail...But Probably Not Last
So, in my post yesterday, I mentioned that I was cooking up a new recipe that kinda reminded me of fall. It had chicken, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and a crock pot, which sounded like the makings of an interesting-yet-great dinner.
Wrong.
I also mentioned that I had to alter the recipe a little because I didn't have all of the ingredients it called for. The recipe called for red onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, curry or cumin, and ground ginger to mix with the unsweetened applesauce, and then layer it onto the chicken and the cut-and-peeled sweet potatoes.
I forgot to get the onions and I didn't have ginger. Oops!
Me, being the lazy person I can be, just bumped the onions off and looked up on the internet what I could use instead of ginger. Nutmeg it is then! I had that in my spice cabinet.
Maybe it would've been better if I had actually followed the recipe and gone to the grocery store to get the correct ingredients. That's a definite possibility, but I'm not sure I'll try again to figure it out.
Chris was sweet enough to eat the bowl full that I fixed him (which, thank goodness, I put on top of rice to help out the not-so-good chicken stuff), but no seconds this time. He did better than me though, I couldn't even finish what I had. I eventually gave up and grabbed a Dreamcicle out of the freezer.
My cooking was no good this time.
I guess I still have a fairly decent record, though. I've cooked quite often since I've moved into the house back in June, and this may only be the second or third time I've cooked something that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. Can't complain about that!
If you're interested in giving it a try for yourself, here's the recipe that I used. I also thought that maybe putting some brown sugar into the mix might help give it more flavor, because that's what it was really missing.
Maybe that's what the red onions were supposed to do. That's probably what they were supposed to do.
Anyways, if you try it, please let me know how it worked for you!
Tonight, Chris suggested we have a leftover night. I'm thinking he may want me to take a few days off to re-group myself after that fiasco, then come back strong with food that actually tastes good again. Whatever his motivation behind it might be, I'm completely okay with it! It's nice to use a microwave every once in a while to fix dinner.
Plus, that gives me extra time to cuddle up with my handsome man on the couch. Sounds like a win-win plan to me!
Wrong.
I also mentioned that I had to alter the recipe a little because I didn't have all of the ingredients it called for. The recipe called for red onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, curry or cumin, and ground ginger to mix with the unsweetened applesauce, and then layer it onto the chicken and the cut-and-peeled sweet potatoes.
I forgot to get the onions and I didn't have ginger. Oops!
Me, being the lazy person I can be, just bumped the onions off and looked up on the internet what I could use instead of ginger. Nutmeg it is then! I had that in my spice cabinet.
Maybe it would've been better if I had actually followed the recipe and gone to the grocery store to get the correct ingredients. That's a definite possibility, but I'm not sure I'll try again to figure it out.
Chris was sweet enough to eat the bowl full that I fixed him (which, thank goodness, I put on top of rice to help out the not-so-good chicken stuff), but no seconds this time. He did better than me though, I couldn't even finish what I had. I eventually gave up and grabbed a Dreamcicle out of the freezer.
My cooking was no good this time.
I guess I still have a fairly decent record, though. I've cooked quite often since I've moved into the house back in June, and this may only be the second or third time I've cooked something that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. Can't complain about that!
If you're interested in giving it a try for yourself, here's the recipe that I used. I also thought that maybe putting some brown sugar into the mix might help give it more flavor, because that's what it was really missing.
Maybe that's what the red onions were supposed to do. That's probably what they were supposed to do.
Anyways, if you try it, please let me know how it worked for you!
Tonight, Chris suggested we have a leftover night. I'm thinking he may want me to take a few days off to re-group myself after that fiasco, then come back strong with food that actually tastes good again. Whatever his motivation behind it might be, I'm completely okay with it! It's nice to use a microwave every once in a while to fix dinner.
Plus, that gives me extra time to cuddle up with my handsome man on the couch. Sounds like a win-win plan to me!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Fall = Love
There are just some days where all I want to do is sleep.
Forget eating, watching television, even shopping. I just want to sleep.
Today is one of those days.
I don't know why I'm so stinkin' tired! I mean, I've been in bed by 10:30 each night, I even got an extra twenty minutes or so of sleep Monday morning. I am completely out of energy though. Just carrying the baby up the stairs to lay him down for his nap makes me want to collapse beside the crib and catches some snoozes with him before I make my trek back down.
I'm too young for this.
Anyways, rant over and on to what I really want to talk about.
Can you believe that it is only 22 days until Halloween, 50 days until Thanksgiving, and 77 days until Christmas? Isn't that crazy?!
I love it though, because this is my absolutely favorite time of the year. When Pumpkin Spice Lattes make their debut on Starbuck's menu, then I know it has officially arrived. There's something about the crisp-ness in the air, the smell of firewood burning and pumpkin carvings, being able to wear awesome scarves, and sipping on hot apple cider that makes me so happy.
I have been DYING to pull out my fall/winter clothes the past week or two, and I have been DYING to go shopping for more too. I do enjoy my summer clothes and shopping for them, but I love me some over-sized hoodies and cute boots.
I also love some good 'n' hot comfort foods that only come when it's cold. Chili was always a staple winter-time dinner that we had. We would eat it, like, once a week. Or at least it felt like we did. I didn't mind though - I love it! I'm trying a recipe tonight that contains chicken, sweet potatoes, and apples that are slow cooked for 8 hours. It sounded awesome and fairly fall-ish, so we shall see! I had to tweak it a little bit because I accidentally forget to purchase a couple of ingredients, but I had a substitute for one and the other I just left out haha. I'm excited to see how it is!
Now, if I can only figure out how to cook the rice...
I'm definitely going to have to stop by Starbucks and get me Pumpkin Spice Latte before I head to church. Normally I get a tall or grande, but I'm thinking about getting a venti today. Gotta have my energy up to dance for Jesus! :)
Forget eating, watching television, even shopping. I just want to sleep.
Today is one of those days.
I don't know why I'm so stinkin' tired! I mean, I've been in bed by 10:30 each night, I even got an extra twenty minutes or so of sleep Monday morning. I am completely out of energy though. Just carrying the baby up the stairs to lay him down for his nap makes me want to collapse beside the crib and catches some snoozes with him before I make my trek back down.
I'm too young for this.
Anyways, rant over and on to what I really want to talk about.
Can you believe that it is only 22 days until Halloween, 50 days until Thanksgiving, and 77 days until Christmas? Isn't that crazy?!
I love it though, because this is my absolutely favorite time of the year. When Pumpkin Spice Lattes make their debut on Starbuck's menu, then I know it has officially arrived. There's something about the crisp-ness in the air, the smell of firewood burning and pumpkin carvings, being able to wear awesome scarves, and sipping on hot apple cider that makes me so happy.
I have been DYING to pull out my fall/winter clothes the past week or two, and I have been DYING to go shopping for more too. I do enjoy my summer clothes and shopping for them, but I love me some over-sized hoodies and cute boots.
I also love some good 'n' hot comfort foods that only come when it's cold. Chili was always a staple winter-time dinner that we had. We would eat it, like, once a week. Or at least it felt like we did. I didn't mind though - I love it! I'm trying a recipe tonight that contains chicken, sweet potatoes, and apples that are slow cooked for 8 hours. It sounded awesome and fairly fall-ish, so we shall see! I had to tweak it a little bit because I accidentally forget to purchase a couple of ingredients, but I had a substitute for one and the other I just left out haha. I'm excited to see how it is!
Now, if I can only figure out how to cook the rice...
I'm definitely going to have to stop by Starbucks and get me Pumpkin Spice Latte before I head to church. Normally I get a tall or grande, but I'm thinking about getting a venti today. Gotta have my energy up to dance for Jesus! :)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Pinterest: The Diary of a Woman
Before I start talking about Pinterest, which is one of my favorite topics ever, let me tell you about the dinner I cooked last night.
Of course, I found it on Pinterest (what are cookbooks anymore?). It's called Chicken Broccoli Casserole and it's fabulous! Not exactly the healthiest dish in the world, especially since it calls for two whole cans of condensed cream of chicken soup, but it's worth every calorie. I used Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs, just because I think it adds more flavor. So good!
Anyways, back to the original topic.
I love me some Pinterest. I have 60 boards and 6,012 pins, as of 9:14am on Tuesday, October 8th, 2013. I'm sure that'll change by the end of the day. I have a slight problem with spending more time looking at pins than I do at housework. It's just so addicting! Here's some e-cards that describe it perfectly:
But seriously, these are so true. 60 boards with over 6,000 pins is a little insane. I can't even tell you all of the pins that I have! But I can tell you that they will come in handy and be used one of these days (I feel like those are famous words of hoarders). I'm not even sure I can have a conversation with Chris without bringing up something I saw or read on Pinterest, and I definitely would not be surprised if the mastermind behind all of these pins and boards and insanity of Pinterest is a man who wanted to inspire his wife to make him a fancy grilled cheese sandwich.
If you're not exactly sure what Pinterest is, it is a social website that allows you to 'pin' different pictures that link to websites onto designated 'boards' on your account. For instance, I will see on my news feed a picture of an Oreo that has the caption, 'World's Best Oreo Dessert!', which intrigues me to pin it to my board labeled 'Desserts.' I can then refer back to it when I'm ready to try it out. I simply just click the picture, which takes me to the website that contains the recipe, and I start cooking away. Hopefully that makes sense on how it works!
Pinterest has inspired me to cook, to decorate, to work out, to plan dates, to go shopping, and it inspired my wedding! My life was completely altered when I got the invite to join a world full of ridiculous-ness.
When it comes down to it, Pinterest is the diary of a woman. A way to a man's heart is through his stomach. A way to a woman's heart is through her Pinterest account. But seriously, it really is. Now, I understand not every woman has an account, and if she does, she may not have an overload of pins like I have. But if she happens to, you will know what she wants, what she finds funny, what she finds inspirational, how she wants to decorate the house (or how she wants to build a house!), what she thinks is tasty, absolutely EVERYTHING about a woman is on her boards.
I don't think men know what they have here!
Even if she has minimal boards with minimal pins, she has something that describes her or what she wants. If it's a board about food, you can see what she finds yummy. If it's clothes, you know what she would like to be in her wardrobe. If it's wedding things, you know she wants to get married. Fairly simple and self-explanatory!
If there is anything you want to know about the woman in your life, explore her Pinterest boards and see what has caught her eye. You'll probably be amazed, and hopefully you'll discover the goldmine that you have! You really won't have to think too hard about anything, ever. If it's a date idea you're searching for, I'm sure she has something pinned on there. Want to cook her a meal? She'll have some recipes you can choose from. Need an idea on how to propose? Don't worry, she'll have a couple for you to look over. If you desire to know what inspires her or what her personality is like, I bet she has something for that too.
If you need it, she will probably have it. On her Pinterest.
I really hope Pinterest doesn't disappear any time soon. I feel like my life is on my profile, and I would be so lost if something happened to it. I'm not even sure I can raise my kids without it!
Okay, I know I can raise my kids without the help of Pinterest. But, let's be honest, if you've checked out the baby/children stuff lately, you'll agree with me that it's a lot more awesome than using my brain and intuition alone. For instance, I don't need 21 Things No One Ever Tells You Before Your First Baby right now, but I will definitely need it sometime in the maybe-near future! My mind can't come up with these since I have never had a child, but Pinterest has it taken care of it for me, and I am very grateful for that and hope it doesn't go away before I need it!
All-in-all, Pinterest is awesome. It's my life displayed on a bunch of boards. It's my past, my present, and my future all wrapped up in websites and pictures I find to describe who I am and what I want to be. And how I want to decorate. And what I want to cook. And how I want to look when going out. And what my babies will wear when they eventually make their debut in this world. And everything else my life includes.
My husband really does have a jackpot with this one, and he probably has no clue. Until now! Oh, how fortunate men are that women have discovered Pinterest. They'll be glad we became addicted to it.
One day.
Of course, I found it on Pinterest (what are cookbooks anymore?). It's called Chicken Broccoli Casserole and it's fabulous! Not exactly the healthiest dish in the world, especially since it calls for two whole cans of condensed cream of chicken soup, but it's worth every calorie. I used Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs, just because I think it adds more flavor. So good!
Anyways, back to the original topic.
I love me some Pinterest. I have 60 boards and 6,012 pins, as of 9:14am on Tuesday, October 8th, 2013. I'm sure that'll change by the end of the day. I have a slight problem with spending more time looking at pins than I do at housework. It's just so addicting! Here's some e-cards that describe it perfectly:
But seriously, these are so true. 60 boards with over 6,000 pins is a little insane. I can't even tell you all of the pins that I have! But I can tell you that they will come in handy and be used one of these days (I feel like those are famous words of hoarders). I'm not even sure I can have a conversation with Chris without bringing up something I saw or read on Pinterest, and I definitely would not be surprised if the mastermind behind all of these pins and boards and insanity of Pinterest is a man who wanted to inspire his wife to make him a fancy grilled cheese sandwich.
If you're not exactly sure what Pinterest is, it is a social website that allows you to 'pin' different pictures that link to websites onto designated 'boards' on your account. For instance, I will see on my news feed a picture of an Oreo that has the caption, 'World's Best Oreo Dessert!', which intrigues me to pin it to my board labeled 'Desserts.' I can then refer back to it when I'm ready to try it out. I simply just click the picture, which takes me to the website that contains the recipe, and I start cooking away. Hopefully that makes sense on how it works!
Pinterest has inspired me to cook, to decorate, to work out, to plan dates, to go shopping, and it inspired my wedding! My life was completely altered when I got the invite to join a world full of ridiculous-ness.
When it comes down to it, Pinterest is the diary of a woman. A way to a man's heart is through his stomach. A way to a woman's heart is through her Pinterest account. But seriously, it really is. Now, I understand not every woman has an account, and if she does, she may not have an overload of pins like I have. But if she happens to, you will know what she wants, what she finds funny, what she finds inspirational, how she wants to decorate the house (or how she wants to build a house!), what she thinks is tasty, absolutely EVERYTHING about a woman is on her boards.
I don't think men know what they have here!
Even if she has minimal boards with minimal pins, she has something that describes her or what she wants. If it's a board about food, you can see what she finds yummy. If it's clothes, you know what she would like to be in her wardrobe. If it's wedding things, you know she wants to get married. Fairly simple and self-explanatory!
If there is anything you want to know about the woman in your life, explore her Pinterest boards and see what has caught her eye. You'll probably be amazed, and hopefully you'll discover the goldmine that you have! You really won't have to think too hard about anything, ever. If it's a date idea you're searching for, I'm sure she has something pinned on there. Want to cook her a meal? She'll have some recipes you can choose from. Need an idea on how to propose? Don't worry, she'll have a couple for you to look over. If you desire to know what inspires her or what her personality is like, I bet she has something for that too.
If you need it, she will probably have it. On her Pinterest.
I really hope Pinterest doesn't disappear any time soon. I feel like my life is on my profile, and I would be so lost if something happened to it. I'm not even sure I can raise my kids without it!
Okay, I know I can raise my kids without the help of Pinterest. But, let's be honest, if you've checked out the baby/children stuff lately, you'll agree with me that it's a lot more awesome than using my brain and intuition alone. For instance, I don't need 21 Things No One Ever Tells You Before Your First Baby right now, but I will definitely need it sometime in the maybe-near future! My mind can't come up with these since I have never had a child, but Pinterest has it taken care of it for me, and I am very grateful for that and hope it doesn't go away before I need it!
All-in-all, Pinterest is awesome. It's my life displayed on a bunch of boards. It's my past, my present, and my future all wrapped up in websites and pictures I find to describe who I am and what I want to be. And how I want to decorate. And what I want to cook. And how I want to look when going out. And what my babies will wear when they eventually make their debut in this world. And everything else my life includes.
My husband really does have a jackpot with this one, and he probably has no clue. Until now! Oh, how fortunate men are that women have discovered Pinterest. They'll be glad we became addicted to it.
One day.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Mexican Pasta Skillet (so good!)
I can't believe it is already Monday again, the weekends just go by too fast.
I enjoy them so much more now that we're married than I ever have before. There's something about spending time with your husband cuddled up on the couch watching football on a Sunday afternoon, even though I've watched enough football to last me until next season, you still can't beat it. Even though we've only been married not-even two months, and we don't plan on having kids any time soon, I still cherish our time together because I understand that, one day, we're not going to get un-interrupted time like this very often. I really try to appreciate our weekends, even if it is spent watching grown men tackle each other all day long.
Talking about all of this makes me miss Chris so much :(
Anyways, moving on.
Chris and I FINALLY made it to the grocery stores yesterday (we split our list between Sam's for our bulk buys and Kroger or Wal-Mart for the smaller things), which means we have food! No more eating out during the week! I am so excited about not driving through a drive-thru or arguing about where we're going to eat. Since I do the cooking, I get to decide what we eat!
Last night, we decided to cook instead of grabbing something out again, which is unusual for a Sunday night. I really didn't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen since it was our last moments of the weekend, so I went with an awesome go-to recipe that is easy and delicious.
I actually found this recipe on Recipe.com when I had subscribed to their email list. You can find the original recipe here, but I'm going to give you a condensed, 'non-healthified' version that I used instead.
It's so easy!
-1 lb. Ground Beef, browned and drained
-1 16oz jar of Salsa ( I used Pace Chunky Salsa)
-1 8oz can of Tomato Sauce (it's a little less than 1 cup, but not enough to alter the taste)
-1 1/2 cups Water
-2 cups Elbow Macaroni, uncooked
-1 cup Niblet Frozen Corn (I used the Kroger brand of frozen corn and it worked just fine)
-1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used mild instead of sharp since Chris doesn't like sharp cheddar. I also used a little more than 1/2 cup since I love cheese :) )
If I keep taking pictures of our meals, I really need to invest in a camera that makes them look decent. Until then, iPhone camera it is!
I'm telling you, this recipe will not disappoint. From start to finish, it took me no more than 25 minutes to get it on our plates, and we only had 1/6th of what is in that picture left over. Plus, the dirty dishes are minimal! Which is always a great thing in our books.
This will definitely become a re-occurring meal for us, especially on busy nights when I just want climb into bed as soon as possible. It's easy, it's fairly inexpensive, and it's yummy. Three things that make this wife happy.
I'm telling you, there is just something about a Monday that makes me wish I could crawl back into bed and get more sleep! Even at 2 o'clock in the afternoon - it's so ridiculous. Thank goodness there's only one Monday a week!
I enjoy them so much more now that we're married than I ever have before. There's something about spending time with your husband cuddled up on the couch watching football on a Sunday afternoon, even though I've watched enough football to last me until next season, you still can't beat it. Even though we've only been married not-even two months, and we don't plan on having kids any time soon, I still cherish our time together because I understand that, one day, we're not going to get un-interrupted time like this very often. I really try to appreciate our weekends, even if it is spent watching grown men tackle each other all day long.
Talking about all of this makes me miss Chris so much :(
Anyways, moving on.
Chris and I FINALLY made it to the grocery stores yesterday (we split our list between Sam's for our bulk buys and Kroger or Wal-Mart for the smaller things), which means we have food! No more eating out during the week! I am so excited about not driving through a drive-thru or arguing about where we're going to eat. Since I do the cooking, I get to decide what we eat!
Last night, we decided to cook instead of grabbing something out again, which is unusual for a Sunday night. I really didn't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen since it was our last moments of the weekend, so I went with an awesome go-to recipe that is easy and delicious.
I actually found this recipe on Recipe.com when I had subscribed to their email list. You can find the original recipe here, but I'm going to give you a condensed, 'non-healthified' version that I used instead.
It's so easy!
-1 lb. Ground Beef, browned and drained
-1 16oz jar of Salsa ( I used Pace Chunky Salsa)
-1 8oz can of Tomato Sauce (it's a little less than 1 cup, but not enough to alter the taste)
-1 1/2 cups Water
-2 cups Elbow Macaroni, uncooked
-1 cup Niblet Frozen Corn (I used the Kroger brand of frozen corn and it worked just fine)
-1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used mild instead of sharp since Chris doesn't like sharp cheddar. I also used a little more than 1/2 cup since I love cheese :) )
- Once Ground Beef is browned and drained, mix in Salsa, Tomato Sauce, and Water in the skillet. Heat to boiling
- Stir in Macaroni and Corn, reduce heat.
- Cover and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender
- Turn off stove, sprinkle with cheese, re-cover and let stand for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted
- Enjoy!
If I keep taking pictures of our meals, I really need to invest in a camera that makes them look decent. Until then, iPhone camera it is!
I'm telling you, this recipe will not disappoint. From start to finish, it took me no more than 25 minutes to get it on our plates, and we only had 1/6th of what is in that picture left over. Plus, the dirty dishes are minimal! Which is always a great thing in our books.
This will definitely become a re-occurring meal for us, especially on busy nights when I just want climb into bed as soon as possible. It's easy, it's fairly inexpensive, and it's yummy. Three things that make this wife happy.
I'm telling you, there is just something about a Monday that makes me wish I could crawl back into bed and get more sleep! Even at 2 o'clock in the afternoon - it's so ridiculous. Thank goodness there's only one Monday a week!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Dating My Husband
Chris and I have known each other for exactly two years this weekend.
So crazy to think about all that has happened in two years: first date, first kiss, first time saying 'I love you,' four birthdays, so many holidays, Chris graduating college, family vacation, getting engaged, planning a wedding, getting married, and now living together as husband and wife.
I never knew any of that was going to happen between Chris and I when we first met. In fact, I thought there was a possibility it would happen with another guy whom I was interested in at the time.
I am so thankful it didn't work out the way I thought it was going to!
Although we had only known each other for a short period of time, we became very comfortable with each other soon after we became official. I think it was because we both knew that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together after the very first date.
During the first five months of our relationship, Chris lived in Athens while getting his Computer Science degree at The University of Georgia. I only saw him on the weekends he came home and during holidays. I can honestly say that was probably one of the hardest times in our relationship, at least on my end. I kind of think it left me a little scarred too, because I hate the thought of Chris going somewhere or being somewhere without me for over 12 hours. It makes me cry.
Yes, I did cry like a baby when Chris left for his bachelor weekend. I am not ashamed to admit that.
When Chris finally graduated and came home for good, we definitely had some date nights. But, eventually, we got used to us being together all of the time and our nights started to consist of take-out and Big Bang Theory. Every now and then we would have a nice, planned date night that we would get dressed up for. But as the months went on, they became fewer and farther between.
Now that we're finally married and get to share a house together, plus each of us working full-time jobs, we're not sure what dates are anymore. If it doesn't consist of a sporting event and/or a couch, we usually don't participate. It's not that we don't want to, it just takes effort that we don't want to put forth after a long day/week.
Being tired and wanting to stay home is no excuse to not date your spouse. Just because the rings are the fingers, doesn't mean that the pursuit of one another is over. In fact, I feel that you need to pursue harder and stronger than ever.
Marriage brings so many challenges without adding the complacency we get with each other. When we add the chores of a house, the finances, the bills, the two busy schedules and sharing one bed into the relationship, life becomes a lot more complicated than it did when we were dating. No longer are we worried about where we're going for dinner, but now it's the wonder if we can afford going to dinner without skimping somewhere else in the budget. And then it's if we want to put the effort into getting ready to go out to eat.
I miss my husband when we become like this. I miss him a lot. Even though we are together every night and every weekend, being in the same room as him is not the same as having the intimate husband-wife moments we need. I'm not talking about bedroom intimacy! Although I feel that is definitely a necessity for a great marriage. But I'm talking about intimate conversations without distractions and having intimate dates without loud, drunk people screaming at the 60 television screens located all over the restaurant. Even playing some putt-putt or bowling! Anything that gives you moments to bond and to grow closer together without large interruptions. Chris and I don't do this enough, and it begins to show in our marriage. And we've only been married for a month and a half! I can't imagine if we continued this pattern for months, even years, before having intimate marriage moments.
So, last month, I proposed that we each take 1 day/night every other month to plan out a date for us. I will take all of the even months, Chris will take all of the odds (that way he has my birthday and I have his). When it is our month, we have to plan the ENTIRE date and cannot ask the other for input. It can be absolutely whatever, doesn't have to cost a lot or any money at all, but has to be planned (we're awful about winging our dates - not anymore!). This doesn't mean we only have one date a month, but this way we know that if our schedules get too busy, we will have at least one day/night where it's time we can spend 'intimately' with each other.
This month is my month, and I am SO excited! I've already told Chris to not plan anything for the 18th, and I've already got some ideas stirring up in my head. I can't spill any of the details on here, since my husband reads this sometimes :) But I can say that I am going all out on this one since I haven't planned a date for us in quite some time.
So what was the point of this entry, besides telling you about our life story?
Date your husband/wife, even if you've been together for twenty years. Remember why you fell in love in the first place, and celebrate that together without major distractions. Do it often. It's worth it. I know I don't come from a background of a lot of personal experience, but I've watched so man couple over my lifetime. I can tell which ones are still in pursuit of each other, and the ones who have become content and complacent with just living with a roommate.
If you need help finding some ideas on what to do for date night, I highly recommend Pinterest, especially following The Dating Divas. They have so many awesome ideas, many are budget-friendly, and all are geared towards having those intimate times with your spouse! There's even some help for the guys out there, too :)
I'm getting super excited just thinking about our date! I think I need to go shopping for a new outfit for it...
Yep, I think this is a great excuse for a new outfit. Don't you think?
So crazy to think about all that has happened in two years: first date, first kiss, first time saying 'I love you,' four birthdays, so many holidays, Chris graduating college, family vacation, getting engaged, planning a wedding, getting married, and now living together as husband and wife.
I never knew any of that was going to happen between Chris and I when we first met. In fact, I thought there was a possibility it would happen with another guy whom I was interested in at the time.
I am so thankful it didn't work out the way I thought it was going to!
Although we had only known each other for a short period of time, we became very comfortable with each other soon after we became official. I think it was because we both knew that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together after the very first date.
During the first five months of our relationship, Chris lived in Athens while getting his Computer Science degree at The University of Georgia. I only saw him on the weekends he came home and during holidays. I can honestly say that was probably one of the hardest times in our relationship, at least on my end. I kind of think it left me a little scarred too, because I hate the thought of Chris going somewhere or being somewhere without me for over 12 hours. It makes me cry.
Yes, I did cry like a baby when Chris left for his bachelor weekend. I am not ashamed to admit that.
When Chris finally graduated and came home for good, we definitely had some date nights. But, eventually, we got used to us being together all of the time and our nights started to consist of take-out and Big Bang Theory. Every now and then we would have a nice, planned date night that we would get dressed up for. But as the months went on, they became fewer and farther between.
Now that we're finally married and get to share a house together, plus each of us working full-time jobs, we're not sure what dates are anymore. If it doesn't consist of a sporting event and/or a couch, we usually don't participate. It's not that we don't want to, it just takes effort that we don't want to put forth after a long day/week.
Being tired and wanting to stay home is no excuse to not date your spouse. Just because the rings are the fingers, doesn't mean that the pursuit of one another is over. In fact, I feel that you need to pursue harder and stronger than ever.
Marriage brings so many challenges without adding the complacency we get with each other. When we add the chores of a house, the finances, the bills, the two busy schedules and sharing one bed into the relationship, life becomes a lot more complicated than it did when we were dating. No longer are we worried about where we're going for dinner, but now it's the wonder if we can afford going to dinner without skimping somewhere else in the budget. And then it's if we want to put the effort into getting ready to go out to eat.
I miss my husband when we become like this. I miss him a lot. Even though we are together every night and every weekend, being in the same room as him is not the same as having the intimate husband-wife moments we need. I'm not talking about bedroom intimacy! Although I feel that is definitely a necessity for a great marriage. But I'm talking about intimate conversations without distractions and having intimate dates without loud, drunk people screaming at the 60 television screens located all over the restaurant. Even playing some putt-putt or bowling! Anything that gives you moments to bond and to grow closer together without large interruptions. Chris and I don't do this enough, and it begins to show in our marriage. And we've only been married for a month and a half! I can't imagine if we continued this pattern for months, even years, before having intimate marriage moments.
So, last month, I proposed that we each take 1 day/night every other month to plan out a date for us. I will take all of the even months, Chris will take all of the odds (that way he has my birthday and I have his). When it is our month, we have to plan the ENTIRE date and cannot ask the other for input. It can be absolutely whatever, doesn't have to cost a lot or any money at all, but has to be planned (we're awful about winging our dates - not anymore!). This doesn't mean we only have one date a month, but this way we know that if our schedules get too busy, we will have at least one day/night where it's time we can spend 'intimately' with each other.
This month is my month, and I am SO excited! I've already told Chris to not plan anything for the 18th, and I've already got some ideas stirring up in my head. I can't spill any of the details on here, since my husband reads this sometimes :) But I can say that I am going all out on this one since I haven't planned a date for us in quite some time.
So what was the point of this entry, besides telling you about our life story?
Date your husband/wife, even if you've been together for twenty years. Remember why you fell in love in the first place, and celebrate that together without major distractions. Do it often. It's worth it. I know I don't come from a background of a lot of personal experience, but I've watched so man couple over my lifetime. I can tell which ones are still in pursuit of each other, and the ones who have become content and complacent with just living with a roommate.
If you need help finding some ideas on what to do for date night, I highly recommend Pinterest, especially following The Dating Divas. They have so many awesome ideas, many are budget-friendly, and all are geared towards having those intimate times with your spouse! There's even some help for the guys out there, too :)
I'm getting super excited just thinking about our date! I think I need to go shopping for a new outfit for it...
Yep, I think this is a great excuse for a new outfit. Don't you think?
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