I'm dreaming of a break for Christmas

The next two hours are going to be the longest two of my life.

No, scratch that. Tomorrow, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m….those will be the longest hours of my life.

There comes a point in collegiate teaching where you don’t have to teach class anymore…you have high hopes of making lecture notes over Christmas break…and you’re frankly just ready to go home. I reached that point around noon today. Technically, I reached it at 4 p.m. yesterday, when my class ended.

I actually have a couple of things left to accomplish. But they’re small, mundane items that will take about two hours to accomplish. And, as I will need something to do tomorrow, they can obviously wait.

I want to go home and bake. It’s almost Christmas, and I want to bake. I actually have a list, to be honest:

* Gingerbread biscotti

* This delicious-looking peppermint pie

* A chocolate pecan pie (which will be made Sunday)

* Sugar cookies with frosting

* Dinner tonight (BBQ cups – ask me for the recipe! I’ll be happy to give it to you!)

This is coupled with the fact, I’m sure, that I am resting my *^&%^#$ ankle until Monday. No exercise. And, on Monday morning, if that #@$%^* ankle is still hurting after I “test run” it, I’m going to see a doctor. Hopefully, though, rest, ice, elevation, and ibuprofen are all that is needed. We shall see.

As a late Tinsel Vixen report, I gained a pound back. No surprise there with a trip to see my family and lots of good food and a lack of exercise. I’m just thankful it was only a pound! (And, as I weighed at night and not at lunch time, there *might* be a slight difference. MIGHT.)

Sigh. One hour and 55 minutes to go. And then eight hours tomorrow.

BRING ON CHRISTMAS BREAK!

 (Christmas card picture taken by Donald Page)

‘Hood checkup

Well, I feel this week has been a success. I lost 2.8 lbs this week – not sure how that’s possible, but maybe all that healthy eating has caught up with me. Finally. 'Course, now all I want is a Little Debbie Christmas tree cake.

I’m planning on trying to run tomorrow morning. I’ve been cycling constantly, and I did weights, but now it’s time to get back to bizness. I miss feeling accomplished with a good, strong run. However, I have been extremely happy with getting on the exercise bike inside, so running outside is not going to be a fun experience for me. And when you’re alternative is a treadmill, it’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Other than that, this week has been revival week at our church. Can I just say for a moment how much I love our church? Last night was Youth Emphasis Night, and more than 300 students from area schools came out for free pizza and to hear the message. THEN more than 116 of those students went forward, and 80 of them accepted Christ as Savior! Hooray!!!

The sweetest moment of the night came before I even stepped foot in church, though. Tonight, see, we’re having a steak dinner before revival, and we all had to purchase tickets for the meal. I was walking in with three high school students and an older couple, and the husband of the couple tapped one of the boys on the shoulder and said, “Hey, we’re having a steak dinner tomorrow night. Here are some tickets for you and your friends to come again tomorrow.”

It just made me smile to see that. Another lady, after receiving steak tickets from another member, told me, “Everyone is just so kind at this church.” It’s nice to see that after all the religious scandals that make headlines and seemingly endless local bitterness that some people still have a positive view on church and, most importantly, on God.

So that’s my update. Let’s hope tomorrow is a running day!

The Injury

It’s not even a “real” injury. A “real” injury is when I can’t walk, period. Or when it hurts to walk. No, this one just kicks in after I’ve run about a half a mile.

Stupid ankle injury.

I have no idea how I hurt my ankle or what is actually hurt. It’s my right, inner ankle bone, and it’s right on the bone. It hurts when I press it. Found that one out in church yesterday. Yeah, smart, I know. Let’s press what hurts.

When Kelsey and I ran our 10k back in October, I hurt it then. The sidewalk was a bit sideways, and I don’t know if I pulled/strained/stretched or what, but it started hurting. But it was fine in my next run. But this Friday it kicked back up again. I ran five miles Friday, which was a mistake for multiple reasons. Reason 1: I didn’t have my route memorized, so I had to double back once to get it right. Reason 2: I didn’t wear my blister-preventing socks because “five miles isn’t a lot!” so now I have blisters. Reason 3: My ankle started killing me.

I supposedly stayed off it Saturday. Translation: I just walked for two hours up hills – no running needed. However, it did not hurt once.

I iced it multiple times Saturday night and Sunday morning in preparation for a eight or nine mile run. I could feel that it was still tender, but, since I’m not sure what caused it, I thought that it just needed to be stretched out or strengthened through running (As I’ve asked pretty much everyone’s opinion on the subject of hurt ankles, one of the schools of thought is that I have weak ankles.).

We had to walk a lot because of me. By Mile 3, when we were walking uphill, Kelsey asked, “Is your ankle hurting?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

“I can tell. You’re limping.”

Well, poo.

I hadn’t realized I was limping. When she said that, it finally clicked: I need rest.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

One of the worst things you can tell a runner is not to run. Indefinitely (though I’ll probably try again Wednesday – and if it starts hurting, I promise to stop). Especially one training for a dadgum half-marathon.

So guess what’s about to become my best friend? A stationary bike. And ice.

I do see benefits to a hopefully short hiatus, though. First, our revival started yesterday and goes through Wednesday. So I can go to the revival and not worry, “Okay, am I running before or after revival? Should I wear my running clothes there? Where should we run, since it’ll be dark?” That’s not an option right now.

Also, Hubby and I saw Rindy and her husband last night, and I gave her the bad news about my ankle. As soon as I got finished, my husband started in.

“Okay, we’ve GOT to run this week, even if it’s at 5:30 a.m.,” he said seriously. “And we’re going out of town this weekend, so we need to be accountable and run on our own, too. We don’t have much time before this half-marathon, and we need to get into shape.”

I think I might have swooned.

Holiday hoedown update

Meant to update this last week, but when your boss lets you off work basically a day early, everything else takes a backseat to relaxing. ;)

SO. Let's do a two week recap, shall we?

First, let's talk about eating. While I'm still snacking on chocolate and everything else sweet that I can lay my hands on, I have been eating my three fruits/veggies a day. Some days I thank God for V8, though, because that's sometimes the best I can do.

We also added a goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I hit this on most days because I drink a lot of water anyway. I've been doing it since high school, so this one is easy to fix.

Exercise: 3x/30 mins. I've done well on this, exceeding most of the time because a) sometimes when I run, it's only 2 miles, and I want to hit that 30 min mark and b) I run a lot. However, I've been doing other exercises more, like weights and biking, which has been a nice, easy change from the running. HOWEVER, I've completed an eight-mile route twice in the past two weeks (I actually ran 10 miles total on Sunday), but I want my "everyday" runs to get longer. It's just so hard to do that with work, school, blah.

What's funny is my weight, though. After the first week, I GAINED 1.9 lbs. EEK!! But that's okay, because I actually weighed myself at a different time the second go-around, so I feel that had a LOT to do with it. This week, I weighed myself at lunch (like the first week) and (ahem) gained .7 lb from when we first started this challenge. Fan-stinking-tastic.

I'm not weight-obsessed; I'm really not. And I'm starting to realize that my diet needs to change, and that's happening, so I'm holding out hope that within the next few weeks, I can go a little lower on that weight. =)

Thankful

What did we do before this sweet little guy came along?

No one willingly let him go.

Even in group shots, his parents (front, to the left) weren't the ones holding him. Nope. That was me. ;)

What did we ever do on family holidays without babies in the family?

Let the challenge begin!

Thanks to Brooke, I have become a member of Tinsel Vixens, a Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants team determined to keep weight off during the holiday season and to keep up with a regular exercise schedule. My main goal through this is to eat better. My old joke is that I run to eat (which is clearly displayed by many nights at Maggie Moo’s ice cream after four-mile runs), but I want to train better for this halfie coming up, which means eating better.
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I ate a vegetable. I remember the last time I ate fruit…last week.

So I’m hoping to put away the chocolate pecan pie (tear!) and hot chocolate with marshmallows and ice cream (gasp!) and eat sweet potatoes, winter squash, apples, pears, and more.

Of course, it really didn’t help that I forgot to go to the grocery store and stock up on fruits and veggies last night.

Therefore, this morning, after a very brisk (aka super cold) and short run with the hubby, I headed to the Student Center at work to grab fruit for breakfast. It was pricy, but I’m fairly lazy (so says the person who woke up at 5:30 a.m. to run, but I digress – I am fairly lazy).

Our team goals this week are to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes, eat 3 fruits/veggies per day, and no negative self talk. Frankly, as I’m in the best shape of my life since I was married, that last one is going to be the easiest. Granted, I did not feel very skinny this morning, but I am usually fairly pleasant when it comes to my weight/dress size. It’s really due to the fact that I’m wearing the size I wore in college now. That makes me super happy.

The workouts this week will be rough. I foresee possibly one more 5:30 a.m. run and several late night runs in my future. And very fast runs. Ugh. I like enjoying my run, not clock-watching (at least not until the end).

I’m heading to the grocery store at lunch to grab some veggies (oh, snap, I have lettuce in the fridge – hooray!!!) and fruit to last at least until Saturday.

At any rate, if you want to join in on the fun, head on over to the ‘Hood and join up!!

Christmas culturalization

Is “Ghost” a scary movie? A.C. told me it wasn’t and said we need to watch the movie, but I don’t want to watch it if it’s scary.

One of my students needs to be “culturalized,” we’ve decided. This came after determining that she didn’t know who Cassius Clay was….she’d never watched “The Sandlot” (and therefore did not know who the Sultan of Swat was), and didn’t know why The Great Bambino was part of Red Sox lore. However, recently, we also determined that her culturalization lacks for Christmas movies as well.

I watched that Christmas movie, you know, the one with Scrooge.

This child (and I say “child” loosely, as she’s only six years younger than me) has never seen “Elf.” She’s never seen “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” She’s never seen “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I’m certain she’s never seen “Ernest Saves Christmas.”

So I made a list of Christmas movies she needs to watch over the Thanksgiving holiday to prepare her for the Christmas season:

“A Christmas Story” After all, when I start quoting, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” I want her to get the joke.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” She told me she’d never watched this one because her mom said it was sad and that all of the other reindeer made fun of Rudolph. Well, DUH! But didn’t you sing the REST of the song?

“Elf” She doesn’t know about syrup. Or “Smiling’s my favorite.” Or that singing brings Christmas cheer. Or that you shouldn’t hug raccoons!!!!

“It’s a Wonderful Life” I’m more of a comedy person, but this is a classic everyone should see.

“Frosty the Snowman” Plus “Frosty Returns,” “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” The Legend of Frosty the Snowman” and whatever other straight-to-DVD Frosty they make.

Thinking about all these Christmas movies makes me want to watch some, too! Curl up with a blanket…drink hot chocolate…oh, wait, but it has to get cold first. I’m wearing boots…and the high’s going to be 79 degrees today.

“I’m dreaming…..of a white….Christmas….”

I bet you think this blog is about you, don’t you?

I’ve had a hard time recently with writing. Not because lack of ideas – I’m chock full of ideas. As Bobby Hill once said, “My best ideas come to me in the tub.” Of course, he was talking about plagiarism, too.

No, my issue is with privacy issues. I’ve learned that a certain individual who hurt me greatly has somehow stumbled across my blog. That’s the price I pay for not making my blog more anonymous, I suppose.

Granted, I use a nickname instead of my real name, and I don’t post my whereabouts. That’s more for safety issues than anything else, though.

So my first thought was, “Do I privatize my blog?” This would mean that many people, mainly relatives who I know read, would not be able to see it, or at least would have a harder time viewing. That’s not fair to them. Plus, I’m not a private person. I’m very open, brutally honest, and, then, here’s the kicker:

I don’t care.

Therefore, You-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, read on. I hope it gives you some strange pleasure, as I don’t know why you would be reading my blog if you weren’t enjoying it.

As for me and for those reading, we’re going to talk about more fun items. Such as Thanksgiving. And now, without further ado, welcome to the inaugural Wednesday Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce!!

1. Do you think you're more like your mom or your dad?
I’m definitely a mix. I talk and act like my mom, but a lot of my emotions are identical to my dad’s. Guess that comes from being an only child.

2. Do you like roller coasters?
Does this picture answer your question?

I LOVE roller coasters. Minus this one.

3. How did you name your blog and do you now wish you'd thought about it maybe another five minutes before you hit publish? Would you change your blog title if it were not a huge pain in the derriere? (French makes everything sound a little nicer doesn't it?)
I wish my blog addy and title were the same to make it easier, but I love both of those phrases.

“Thirsty Southern Soul” is me. That’s exactly what I am. I want to be a plant that soaks up God’s Word and His wisdom like rain.

“Fearfully, Wonderfully Made” came from Psalm 139, which is actually taped on my gradebook so I can see it before I go into every class. My favorite verse from that psalm is No. 14: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The psalm is a comfort on bad days.

4. What is the best wedding gift you received? Not married? Didn't get any gifts? Then what is the best wedding gift you've given?
I received a lot of memorable gifts, which I feel are the best. I love that something special, that keepsake you can always treasure. I can think of three: the first comes from my aunt, and it was a plate that had stick figures of me and Husband on it with our names and wedding date. Secondly, a sweet neighbor of my parents knitted a blanket. We didn’t know her well, but the fact that she took the time and effort to knit us a blanket means a lot. Thirdly, one of my mother-in-law’s best friends sent us Tiffany candlesticks. Every girl knows that blue box is special… =)

5. What is the one bill you most hate to pay?
Ha! I don’t pay bills in our household! Woo hoo!!!

6. Is the glass half full or half empty?
Ninety percent of the time, it’s half full. And, when it’s half empty, I stop thinking about the glass at all.

7. What is your favorite word? Okay okay. Calm down. How about one of your favorite words?
Oh, gosh, I love words. Some words I love because of the way they are spelled or sound, others because of what they mean.

Spelling/sound – tenacious, quiche
Meaning – grace, joy
However, I dislike enthusiastic because I can’t spell it, and Word Check can’t figure out what I’m trying to spell. You have no idea how long it took to spell it correctly this time.

8. Now, this is where you insert one random thought of your own...maybe something that struck you as funny, something that recently had you scratching your head in confusion, something that annoyed you a teensy bit, something on your to do list, something you are looking forward to, whatever. As long as it is in keeping with the friendly tone we've all come to know and love on Wednesdays then we're good. Don't make me get out my wooden spoon.
I'm working on two research papers right now, and I keep forgetting I have other items to attend to as well...such as completing this week's research assignment...and making out a final for my students...They'd be happy if I just said, "No final! You all get 100s!" Right?

Hop on over to Joyce’s and have fun!

Heart some pics

 Well, sweet pup, when Mommy and Daddy have a little baby, all of this dressing you up for holidays will stop. So whenever that day comes, you need to love that baby instead of being jealous of it, because Mommy will never make Halloween costumes for you again...unless she wants to dress you and the baby identically...hmmm...

It took some thought as to what this little pup was going to be for Halloween. In the past, we've dressed her as a ladybug, Superdog, and a runner. This year...she's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

In non-related Halloween costume news, Kelsey and I ran a 10k this weekend. Our time was 1:05:13, woo hoo!!! I'm looking forward to February's half-marathon now!

This was the first race where, at the end, the runners were offered coke as well as water.

I took the coke. But I passed on the chili. My stomach couldn't handle that at 9:20 a.m.

A New Quotes Post

Usually I like to save these for Friday, but whatever. It's close enough. This is a mix of favorite quotes and Facebook statuses from friends and students.

(FYI, this one will only make sense if you watch "Arrested Development.")
Well, it's my own fault. When I choose to name my wireless router after Buster Bluth, I really shouldn't be surprised when it starts having crippling panic attacks. I guess I could have named it after Gob, but then it would have been hooking up with all the other routers in the building and shooting lighter fluid everywhere.

(Disclaimer: While parking at the university is not ideal, it’s not really bad, either. The most you have to walk is about .2 mile.)
Student: I walked to the Alumni Center yesterday to do my story instead of driving.
Me: Wow, that’s over half a mile away. Did you do it for the exercise?
Student: No, I didn’t want to lose my parking space.

You ever accidentally pick up the wrong kid from daycare but just roll with it because this one can actually wipe his own flipping nose?

After quizzing a student on AP style and her failing everything…
Student: Well, at least I can spell.
Me: Oh, really? Spell broccoli.
Student: B-R-O-C-C-O-L-L-I.
Me: That’s what I thought.

If you’re not on Facebook, people forget you even exist.

(on the phone with a very friendly female customer service rep while I was setting up a summer vaca)
CSR: You like Indian food? Wow, that’s awesome! So many Americans don’t. When you come on your vacation, I’ll have to make you some Indian food.
Me: Oh, you’re sweet!
CSR: Here, let me give you my cell.
Me:……

Hey, guys? If you're at a preschool observing language in 4 year olds, and one of the moms asks you which kid is yours, don't try to be funny by responding with "I haven't decided yet." Here to help.

Look how cute my cousins are! Joke! I found these kids on the Internet. But aren't they exceptionally cute?

What’s worse than LSU clock management? Tennessee math.

Good night, everyone!

Feeling creative

Have I mentioned how I am NOT a crafty person? It's not even a joke. I am just not crafty. I can barely sew on a button (and only do when it's a desperate situation; most of the time I just call my mother-in-law). However, fall seems to bring out my desire to create more than stringing words together, and I've found a couple of projects I'm very eager to do.

First, I love Misti's ideas for the pumpkins and burlap wreaths. I mean, how stinking cute are they??? I'm a little concerned about making the wreath because it involves a hot glue gun. I don't even OWN a hot glue gun (you thought I was kidding about the non-craftiness, didn't you?). However, I think it's about time one was purchased.

Also, I found directions for making this wreath, which, let's be honest, looks foolproof. I'm not sure if I can mess that one up. Don't get me wrong -- I'm sure I could, but with hard work and dedication, I think I'll be okay. ;)

Most of this comes from the fact that, frankly, I don't want to go up in our attic for our fall stuff -- or con the husband to go up there for me (anyone else remember the falling-through-the-ceiling incident??). But I also don't want to spend the money. It's my birthmonth, and I plan on having a very good birthmonth. ;) So we need to stay cheap. And these are ways to do just that.

Other fall favorites:

Pumpkin spice lattes and salted caramel hot chocolates (with a shot of espresso) from Starbucks
Being able to clean the yard without breaking a sweat
Running two miles and barely breaking a sweat
Pumpkin pie (made this past weekend)
Breads -- pumpkin, banana nut, cranberry, etc.
Muffins (same as above)
Candles -- particularly the Winter, Leaves, and Mint Chocolate scents from Bath and Body Works
Blankets
S'mores outside
Dressing the dog up for Halloween (any suggestions for costume ideas?)
Jackets and sweaters
Boots
That new apple caramel latte that is at the coffee shop here at the university. Gotta hit that up.
Scarves and gloves. And hats.

Their first 5K

My sweet husband completed his first 5K on Saturday in 36:30. That's about 30 seconds better than my first 5K, and I am so proud of him for doing so well! He ran pretty much the entire time and even experienced his first "runner's high."

We started the race with Rindy and Dustin, and our motto was "every man for himself." We decided this when the gun fired, but neither Rindy nor I left our husbands. Hubby and I ran ahead, and I helped him dodge the crowd at the beginning of the race. The beginning is always the worst, because there's literally thousands of people struggling to start running. It was annoying because I KNOW it messed up our time, but you do what you have to do.

The race itself was one I've run twice before. The first time I ran it was last year's Race for the Cure (the one we did Saturday), and the second was Bark in the Park, which is exactly what it sounds like. There were actually two water stops, though, which surprised me. I've never participated in a 5k with two water stops.

Toward the end, I could see Husband was losing energy, so I started chanting, "Who dat! Who dat!" to motivate him. I don't think it really worked for him, but as "Black and Gold Superbowl" was playing on my iPod at the time, it's what I was interested in.

Then we saw the finish line. I slowed down to Husband's pace so we could finish together, and I felt like I could run another 5K, really. As I started musing over the 5K, next thing I knew, he BOLTED in front of me at break-neck speed.

He was trying to beat me.

I promise you, I couldn't have run faster if someone were chasing me. His legs are practically twice the length of mine, but I have endurance and a year's worth of running on my side. It was a struggle. He's naturally faster than me. But, at the last second, DESPITE WHAT HE CLAIMS, I beat him.

Hehehehe.

However, it really didn't matter, because those who were in charge of the event seriously lacked organization skills or something, because you literally had to wait at least four minutes BEFORE you crossed the finish line because it was so backed up. SERIOUSLY??!!!

In all, though, it was a great experience for all of us -- especially since we had, of course, IHop afterwards. It's a tradition, after all.

We got this

Currently on my playlist:
Cage the Elephant
Cake
Muse
Black Keys
AKA, running music

This week is my husband's first 5k. It's the same one Rindy and I ran first last year, so...yeah, it's kind of special. =) Plus, Rin's husband is joining, too -- and it's his first 5k, as well.

I picked up our packets today. I signed up with a team, a local spa where one of the girls who goes to our Sunday School works at. For any American Cancer Society race, I've found it's just easier to join a team. And it was. AND they had an amazing goody bag with chocolate, a 10% off coupon...and a shirt.

I have to take a pic of this shirt. Husband also got a shirt. It's brown...with pink breast cancer ribbons alllllllll on it.

I just can't picture him wearing it. But I seriously heart that shirt. (I'd wear it for the race, but I just bought a seriously awesome green running shirt and cannot wait to try it out.)

So wish us luck. Husband bought an iPod shuffle, and ever since he got it, he's been a running fiend. Seriously. The boy ran a full two miles the other day. He ran the majority of four miles Sunday.

I heart my husband.

I hope he doesn't beat me on Saturday. ;)

Stand up and get crunk

Sooo…IT’S FOOTBALL TIME!!!

I seriously had to go on a 2 mile run last night before the game to calm down. Because I was watching the game with my Sunday School class. Because I’m not sure how seven guys and two girls would feel about me screaming at the TV loudly. I like to get loud in Saints games. I don’t know everything about football, but I usually recognize a good/bad play/call. However, as I stated before, I like to get loud during Saints’ games. I feel comfortable doing this in front of my husband. Not so much in front of a large group. ;)

(However, because I was so pumped about the Saints game, I ran my FASTEST MILE and TWO MILES EVER!!! Mile 1 came in at 8:48, and I finished up the two miles in 18:42. Yes, my second mile was slower, but I still finished in under 20 mins. That’s an amazing record for me. I ran like a gazelle.)

Anyway, I was COMPLETELY on edge last night. We did take “provisions” (see below picture), and I didn’t scream *too* much, and, despite kicker Garrett Hartley’s TWO misses (SERIOUSLY??!!!), we still beat Favre and the Vikings. And I learned how to spell Favre last night. Yep. True story.



Before we get to my favorite posts of the nights, quick identification:

Saints
Drew Brees, all-around-amazingness, also quarterback for us
Garrett Hartley, our kicker who apparently can only make field goals under pressure

Vikings
Brett Favre, man who needs to quit hogging the media attention and retire, quarterback
Adrian Peterson, who I wish were on the Saints team (I’ll admit it)

Favorite tweet/facebook posts of the night…

Mom is in town and she hates the NFL, so we're watching a movie. Will watch @official_saints on DVR later. You may take away my man card.

Good news for Viking fans; Adrian Peterson ran three times in a row without turning it over. #fumblesaurusrex

I thought you got wiser with age... #farveIQloooooow

Attn Saints D: Tackle that Peterson fella. He's pretty good.

In a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, Garrett Hartley needs to be careful not to lose his job.

Ummmmm, does Hartley know we're playing regular season? #srsly?

Drew Brees has 9 lives in the pocket.

Every perfect season starts with 1-0!

Hey Favre, this is why you practice with your team in the off season. Just sayin. Who dat!!!!!

1-0, baby!! Looking forward to doing the same with the 49ers in a little over a week!!

The infamous camo countertops

Okay, so apparently I generated some interest with the Random Dozen as to how a person who is not camo-inclined lives with camo countertops. I don't know. I try to ignore them as much as possible.

The countertops were actually installed by a previous owner, and while we did make leaps and bounds in improving the house (brick patio out back, new flooring, paint jobs), those camo countertops remain.

Thankfully, not many people realize they are camo. Either that, or they're trying to pacify me. At any rate, it works.

And now, without further ado, my camouflage countertops.

They don't look so bad from further away.


But my kitchen is small, therefore, you pretty much are always close up...




And, if things in my house would quit BREAKING and FLOODING my kitchen, maybe I could get new countertops instead of having to focus on replacing the floor in the kitchen (oh, yeah...half an inch of water...thanks, fridge...). But, happily, I should have new floors this weekend. YEA!!!

R12: Labor Day

So I finally got back on target to participate in Linda's Random Dozen on Wednesdays. YEA!!!!!



1. Describe the best sandwich in the world, according to you.
Yum…Turkey, swiss cheese, and American cheese toasted on focaccia bread. Hold on, let me wipe the drool off the floor.

2. Which inspires you more: a good conversation, a song, a book or movie?
I’d like to be all sweet and say a good conversation, but it’s really a good book. GREAT movies sometimes inspire me, but most of the time it’s a good book.

3. What is your favorite board game?
Scrabble. And I beat my husband for the first time (score is 1-3 now) Saturday. Haha!

4. As you grow older, are you more or less patient with small children?
Both…I have patience, but when I deal with, ahem, loud and annoying small children, mostly I’m thinking, “This is the best form of birth control ever.”

5. Name one item you never let yourself run out of.
Toilet paper. Who would?

6. Do you agree with Tennyson's assertion, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"
Uh…yeah, I suppose so. Well, maybe this way: if you fell in love and the person died, I think he’s right because you have those good memories. And even with a divorce, if you have children, hopefully you love them enough to realize that even if the marriage died, you have something precious still. However, if the relationship ended poorly with nothing good to come out of it other than lessons learned…probably not.

7. Name one national treasure or monument that you have visited.
Fenway Park. I think that’s a national treasure.

8. Which is more painful, to be disappointed in someone else or to be disappointed in yourself?
DEFINITELY disappointed in myself. I’ve gotten better about learning from the experience, but that definitely helps more than being disappointed in others. I’m easier at realizing that people have faults when people disappoint me than I am at realizing my own faults.

9. What makes your kitchen uniquely yours?
Besides the camo counters (don’t ask)? Wait, never mind. DEFINITELY the camo counters. Sigh. They were like that when we moved in. They’re not overly noticeable, but, as I’ve lived there four years now, I recognize them big time. And heartedly dislike them.

10. Are you a crafty person?
Seriously? Heck, no. I can barely pull weeds.

11. What is your favorite traditional picnic or bbq (cookout) food?
Potato salad. LOVE potato salad.

12. Name one leisurely activity you enjoyed over Labor Day Weekend.
There were sooo many. Eating at the Cupcake Factory with Tara…spending time with family, mine and husband’s…eating, eating, and eating some more…It was a great weekend. =)

Now go visit Linda and have some more random fun!

Why I believe in God

(NOTE: I think I need to address that I am not interested in getting into any spiritual debates here. This is more for my personal benefit and my testimony than a soapbox to get into arguments as to who’s right and who’s wrong. If you’re able to benefit from this, great. If not, okay. I was just thinking about this yesterday and felt like I needed to have written evidence of it.)

I was thinking yesterday about why exactly I believe in God. Maybe it has something to do with all the students that are coming back and knowing how few of them have a personal relationship with Christ. And I got to thinking, what would happen if I had a discussion with one of them about why I believe what I do. What would I say? Where would I start?

First, I guess my belief system needs to be addressed. Basically, what do I believe?

I believe that Jesus Christ was God’s Son who came down to Earth to free us from sinful slavery. His sacrifice on the cross allows us to have a personal, intimate relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Because of this belief, this knowledge, I have been granted the best gift of all: eternal salvation and the joy of knowing that one day, I will see Jesus and will be able to continually worship Him. However, while I am here on Earth, I will spend my days praying and talking with Him, reading His Word, and trying to live by example to show others what Jesus has done for me: given me peace and joy and life.

Okay, since that’s out of the way – why do I believe this?

I thought about some physical examples that I’ve seen – things that are a little unsettling and which I know without a shadow of a doubt that God had a hand in. However, I did not want to include them. Why? Because faith is the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1).

1. First, we have the Bible. There are two roads to look at here – you either take the Bible as truth, spoken by God to man, or you take it as a storybook, no different than Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I believe the Bible is Truth, therefore every word in there is Truth. I believe that it is literal, except when directly said otherwise. I believe water covered the Earth. I believe Jonah got swallowed by a huge fish. I believe Jesus raised people from the dead. I believe Paul was shipwrecked AND snake-bitten on the same day. I believe God created man and woman. Heck, I believe a snake talked. Why? Because the Bible said so. And, going back to the first statement, if the Scriptures say so, either the Bible is Truth, or the Bible is fairy tales.

2. My own inner peace. The world is crazy right now, you know? Heck, I just listened to a one-hour speech by my boss about how bad the economic crisis is and how it will affect my workplace. Yet thousands of dollars are STILL being doled out to Super Duper University in hopes that one day things will get better. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I don’t hold a karmatic assumption that just because I do good means I’ll get good things. That’s just not the way life works. I could be the most devout Christian who praised God day in and day out, but things may just go badly. As Mark Driscoll said, we worship a homeless man who had no money and who got murdered, yet some people still think that “good” Christians are supposed to be rich, wealthy, and happy. How does that work?? I may lose my job next year. I may get very ill next year. Life may not go the way I want it to. It often doesn’t. But I’m here for a greater cause. My life is not to serve me. My life is to serve Christ. And through Him, I have a peace that goes beyond anything this world can throw at me. Am I worried about bills? Often. Do I stress out to the point of panic about work and school? Absolutely. But deep in my heart, in my soul, I know this is beyond me and that God LOVES ME and will take care of me. It may not be the way I want to be taken care of, but if I’m paying attention to my Father’s wishes and His name is being glorified, how can I not be at peace?

3. My conscience. The Holy Spirit convicts me frequently. “You know you shouldn’t have said that…You know you shouldn’t have done that…Did you think Jesus appreciated when you did that?” Um…probably not. And it’s not because I’m afraid of “getting caught.” Most of the things I do wrong are things that I would have a hard time getting caught doing. However, it’s knowing that I’ve displeased Jesus that gets me and moves me to repentance. I don’t want to disappoint Him. I want Him to be happy with what I’m doing (then again, on that hand, I have to watch my pride…sigh…). If I were not a Christian, I don’t think I’d have ANY problem doing those little sins that I so love to do. However, since I am…I’m in a constant state of repentance.

Similarly, I want others to be in love with Jesus as well. I want my friends and family to experience what I have. Nothing is certain. I don’t know how I could have gotten through some of the toughest times in my life without a Savior to hold my hand. He’s not my crutch; He’s my God.

4. Watching prayers being answered. Okay, this is not going on the “seen” category mainly because most prayers you don’t really “see” answered. But there are some that I’m just like, “Woooowww…That was incredible.” One HUGE prayer was an attitude adjustment for me. I had someone (let’s just name this person A) who I had a very difficult time loving. My attitude toward this person and in the environment where I would see A would be very poor. And I thought it was A’s fault!! So I started praying about it for around a year. And one day…it’s like a light bulb switched on, and I realized, “Um…maybe my attitude is MY fault.” And it was…The relationship A and I have now is so much different than it was six months ago. And it was all because I prayed for relief from the “A” problem. I received it in an unexpected way and much more – a more joyful me.

5. Because of how I live my life. Any big decision my husband and I make is first done after much prayer. “God, please help us decide if this is the right choice to make. Let either of us feel anxiety if this is not what we should do, but if this is Your will, let us feel peace.” You have NO idea how much this helps.

And that’s that. There are more, I’m sure, but as today is a very busy day, that’s it for now. Time to get back to the grind of work. =)

In five years, we…

* bought a house
* bought a dog
* adopted two cats
* had (technically) six jobs
* bought a car
* completed one master’s degree (and one coming shortly)
* got kicked out of grad school
* got accepted into a Ph.D. program
* went to Boston, Florida and Ohio together (though separately we also went to Alaska, Hawaii, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.)
* became members and teachers at Temple Baptist Church, where we also met people who have become very dear friends
* wrote a book (unpublished…sigh…)
* grew into a constant state to improve our relationship with Jesus Christ
* loved each other desperately
* destroyed two floors due to appliances (sigh No. 2….)
* never put Christmas lights outside
* almost burned the house down (and apartment a couple of times…)
* found out traditions, even ones that we start, can be broken, and it’s okay
* saw the Saints win the Super Bowl together
* endured swine flu, diabetes, and wisdom teeth extractions
* said “I love you” every day

Even though our anniversary is not until Friday, I thought that if I can have a birth week, who says I can’t have an anniversary week? Therefore…

Happy anniversary, love.

Cooking

Conversation from about a year ago…
Dad: You know, you really should learn a foreign language, like Spanish.
Me: I took two years of Spanish in high school and a full year in college.
Dad: Yeah, but you didn’t learn anything.

Based on that conversation, I really shouldn’t have been surprised on his reaction that I was asked to be featured as a chef for our weekly newspaper. Don’t get excited; it’s not a big deal. The girl who is writing the article worked as an intern at the paper while I was there, and she needed victims, I mean, volunteers. Dang those “v” words. At any rate, I agreed to help out.

First off, while I DID clean my house (or at least the part that would be photographed), I neglected to put ANY thought or time to cleaning myself up. Yes, I bathed. But my hair looked a wreck, and my outfit was a little less homemaker-y and a little more “let’s order in.” But, alas, that is my personality.

Anyway, back to Dad. So I told Dad I got asked to do the chef article, and what does he do? BURST OUT LAUGHING.

“WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?” I demanded.

“Wait, seriously? They asked you to be in the chef article?” he asked.

I didn’t find it quite as amusing. I’m a competent cook. I make one heck of a good gumbo (thanks for the recipe, Misti) and outstanding chili, if I do say so myself. I also have a recipe for cream tacos (ask for it; I’ll be happy to give it to you. I’ve posted it here before.) that I learned growing up that is pretty delicious. I’m a good cook. I’m just not that big of a FAN of cooking.

I like baking. Seriously, why cook when you can’t lick the bowl? I made a sopapilla cheesecake the other night that was pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. That cheesecake recipe I posted a while back? It’s pretty awesome, too. And I do good breads, if I do say so myself.

However, it’s well known in our family that while I may be the baker, my husband is the chef. While my recipes take mainly about 30 minutes or less to cook (as well as 10 ingredients or less and one to two pans), his recipes will take a full 2-4 hours, about a million ingredients, and – SERIOUSLY – every stinking pan, pot, bowl, and utensil we own. BUT the man does know how to cook. He makes an alfredo sauce that is heaven-sent. One day (before he had diabetes, but what probably helped kick the diabetes into full form) we decided simply to get French bread and eat it with the alfredo sauce. Oh, it was good. Delicious. And well-worth it. But it was painful later. He’s like Emeril but cheaper. We obviously eat well in our household.

So E comes to interview me yesterday for the article. It took a lot for me NOT to type up some quotes and just hand them to her – or just type the article myself. However, I restrained my inner journalist who doesn’t speak well in interviews and let E conduct her interview. She asked really good questions and will write a better article than I would have, lol. Husband and Rindy were around, too, to make sure I didn’t say anything really stupid. They had to stop me just a couple of times. ;)

E’s camera broke at my house. She used mine. So I get to see the photos before they go in the newspaper. YEA!!!

Oh, and remember how I said I cleaned my house? Yeah, I did. But I forgot about the Mardi Gras beads….







At any rate, we’ll see Sunday how the article turns out!

BTW, wondering what recipe I made? Thanks to Sara, I used a Cuban Pork Roast recipe -- and it is always a hit!

Why I always have dog hair on my clothes

Fresh laundry = warm bed

Beneath the surface

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
John 21:15-19

No joke, I actually read this three times in the past three days. Our pastor preached on this Sunday, it's the subject of our Sunday School lesson next week (so I read it Monday), and I read it on one of the blogs Tuesday. Does that seem a little coincidental?

So I've been thinking about it and thinking about the question, "Do you love me more than these?" Not so much in the Jesus-was-talking-to-Peter sense, but as the Jesus is talking to me sense.

These. My sleep. My running. My husband. My job. My laziness. It cuts to the core. Do I love Jesus more than these?

It's hard to write. And I'm having a hard time writing it. I do love Jesus. But He's not always first in my life.

It's something I need to work on, along with pride and selfishness. It has to all be laid down.

I've also been thinking about life. You know, the one that I have planned out. The one that includes a big house, a successful job, 2.5 kids. You know, that one. All of those are good. But they are a waste without God in the center of my life.

I don't really have a point to this, except maybe to sort out these thoughts that have been running around in my head. Maybe to serve as encouragement to someone else going through this. But I think about our city, how it needs God. I think about those in my life who need God. It breaks my heart to think time may be running out for some of them. It hurts me to watch or hear how someone has hurt another person and then I wonder how I have hurt those closest to me.

Again, I reiterate: no real point. And the reason I reiterate is because I'm trying to come to a conclusion. But do I really need a conclusion to this? After all, God's not through with me. We've barely scratched the surface. I need a major soap scrubbing, a major cleaning in my life. And it's painful. I like some of my vices (and, no, coffee is NOT a vice!). I don't really want to admit any of them, but some of them, I just think, "Really? Is it such a bad thing?" But they are. And they need to be gotten rid of.

Do I love Jesus more than these?

More than the vices?

More than my laziness?

More than my pride?

More than my comfort?

One step at a time…

The gang is back together. Plus some!

Last night was the first training session of Team Baby Steps – a five-person team (so far) running with the goal of completing a half marathon on Feb. 13, 2011, in New Orleans. Two of us, me and Rindy, did this same halfie this past February. This next one, our husbands and our friend Brandon will join us. And we may pick up a few more along the way. =) We’ll see.

So far, finding times to run is the killer. It’s not just mine and Rindy’s schedule that I have to worry about. It’s ours plus three more. And we all have crazy schedules with evening school, work, and other complications.

However, last night, we started running. We did an easy route, and they (the boys) weren’t overly pleased by the end of it, but, God bless them, they agreed to run again today. I originally had planned for us to run 3 miles and lift weights, but, after talking to Kyle about it, I realized I might be expecting too much too soon. I remember how tired and discouraged Rindy and I were last year after our first run. It wasn’t pretty. So we’ll just run 2.5 miles. We’ll hit up some weights tomorrow (for me, Brandon, Rindy, and Dustin) and Friday (for me and Kyle). Friday evening, we’ll run two miles, and then Saturday, we’ll run three. Next week, we’ll start the Hal Higdon treatment.

Rindy was a rock star last night, though. Total. Rock. Star. She hasn’t run in a while, but she fell back into the groove so easily last night and was encouraging the boys to keep running. Total awesomeness.

So wish us luck. And…for those of you living in my area and want to join…come on!

Super Duper vacation

This week was supposed to be bad. As in 8-hour, five day statistics bad. I signed up for a minisession at Super Duper University for statistics. BLAH!!! But it's a three hour credit for five days of torture.

Turns out those five days of torture aren't so bad...

Yesterday, our professor let us out at 11 a.m. (Class was from 8-11 a.m.) Today, class went from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. What's a girl (and her wonderful hubby) supposed to do for the rest of the day?

Anything they want.

Yesterday, we drove a couple of hours to the beach. That's right!! This girl got to go to the beach...and eat fudge...and shrimp...and shop at the outlets...It was amazing. I forgot that I'm actually not supposed to be having fun on this trip!

Today, I'm getting all of my homework done for the week. I'm 2/3 done now. So, to celebrate being 2/3 done with my weekly homework, we're going to watch a movie. Then eat by the lake.

Three hours of doctoral credit never was so sweet.

What's my age again?

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then is age, as well?

‘Cause if it is, I’m a senior citizen.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this 26-year-old is really much older mentally, and I have several recent justifications to back up my case.

No. 1. If I stay up past 10 p.m., I become crankier and more obstinate. In fact, my nightly goal is usually to be in bed by 9 p.m.

No. 2. I actually referred to 18-22 year olds (students I teach) last night as “those kids.” And something else about how they just aren’t as reliable as we were. You know. Back in the days.

No. 3. My five-year plan includes moving into a house where we’ll hopefully stay for the rest of our life.

No. 4. I’ve seen 5:45 a.m. more times this summer than I had in the previous 26 years of my life combined.

No. 5. I start my morning with coffee and reading the news.

No. 6. I don't get the rap music today. What happened to Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.? Oh, wait...dang...

Granted, some of these aspects are positives, and I like to say they show my maturity. Such as the fact that I’m already trying to determine when I can retire and if I’ll have enough money to retire on. And Nos. 3 and 5, I believe, are highly positive. I’ve got a game plan.

Sometimes, I try to remember that I’m a twentysomething. Don’t other twentysomethings do something besides watch Shark Week and King of the Hill reruns? Like…I don’t know, um, party and do wild and crazy things (and I can’t even be more specific, because I don’t know what those “wild and crazy” things would be)?

Turns out for those I know…they don’t.

I heart staying home and just cuddling with my husband and dog while watching TV. I heart having a quiet evening with friends with a few “crazy” experiences thrown in. I heart the fact that my work pretty much requires me to be knowledgeable about what’s going on with the news, which allows me to sit in my office and read the news. I heart that my husband and I have a short-term game plan and a long-term one. And, most definitely, I heart that I have great friends who feel the same way.

Here’s a few other things I don’t mind missing now that I’m classified as “old” (haha):

*The requirement of dressing up. Don’t get me wrong. I like to dress up, but when I go to hear my husband play music, I don’t feel the need to put on the 4-inch heels and be overly sociable. Why, you may ask? So I can be a smart aleck and tell people when they ask, “Oh, yeah, the hot keyboardist up there? He’s mine.”

*Dorm rooms and roommates. For the most part, I had outstanding roommates. However, I hated dorm showers. I hated dorm rooms. I hated feeling like I was living out of my suitcase. I hated some of the places I lived in. Now, I have my own house. My own shower. My own refrigerator. My own cable. Yes, it’s very nice.

* Procrastinating. I was a decent college student, but I wasn’t the best. My application skills left something to be desired. 4-6 page research paper, WHAAATT?! You expect me to find three sources, too??? I have a hard time remembering how hard that seemed now when I just turned in two research papers that were 12 pages and one that was 20.

There are other things as well, and this is getting lengthy, and I think I made my point. (Wait, did I actually have a point??) I may think I’m old and I may be acting like a mature, responsible adult (those of you who know me, stop laughing!!), but at this point in my life, I wouldn’t trade a second of it for the world.

NOTE: Please continue to pray for Casey and Kate. Their first appointment did not go as well as they hoped, but they have another one next Thursday, when hopefully they will find their child. Thank you!

NOTE 2: A few of you may notice that I finally switched my name from something totally made up to something that's actually me. Since this blog is public, I'm not wholly comfortable sharing all my info, but this one is actually my nickname and something that's me. So...yea? Lol.

Vaca over (and adoption prayer request)

I'm not necessarily sad to be back at work today, but it's hard getting back into the swing of things today after waking up yesterday to the sound of water gently crashing on the shore. We had a fabulous time in Hot Springs, renting a houseboat and just taking it easy for a few days by sunning, getting facials, and relaxing in the hot tub.











In a whole new topic, please pray for our friends, Casey and Kate, who are traveling TODAY to the Ukraine to adopt a child (or children). Visit their blog by clicking HERE. They have luckily had a lot of media coverage, so you can read the stories and see the videos, too. They will be going through files of children and choosing their own at 2 p.m. CST Aug. 5. This obviously is a very nerve-wracking process, so keep them in your prayers. Casey and Kate and their daughter Chandler are such wonderful, compassionate people, and pray that God gives them peace as they welcome their new child into the family.