see alli scrap

thankful

2011-11-23T19:54:00.002-06:00

Four months since my last entry? Obviously I am not a "professional" blogger.

Most of the time this blog has to take a backseat to other more important things...such as focusing my energy on growing a baby and trying to stay afloat with my workload.

Yep! I'm pregnant. I'm 27 weeks already, which I can't believe. I finally have a pretty legit baby bump, and everything seems to be going very smoothly. Now that I'm not experiencing nausea or awful headaches, I don't feel like I have anything to complain about. In fact, I feel very blessed. We hoped and prayed for this child to join our family, so the thought of having her in our lives couldn't be any sweeter. I haven't been so happy in quite some time.

As for the second reason for my sparse posting, well, my job is my job. When you work in the schools, you cram a year's worth of work into nine months. It's a crazy business. Challenging and exhausting, that's for sure. Just yesterday I achieved something huge though: I caught up on ALL of my Medicaid billing. I don't think I'd been up to date on that since August 2010. It's a big deal to me to not have that looming over my head anymore. Here I am on Thanksgiving break, and I am actually relaxing and doing fun things!!! It's a good feeling.

26

2011-07-25T17:50:00.001-05:00

A little over a week ago I celebrated another birthday. I wasn't very excited in the months preceding this one, but I've eased into my new age. I just remind myself that I'm not as old as Henry and never will be. ;)

The first event of my special day was birthday lunch at the flagship Whole Foods. I had some great "comfort food," Whole Foods style: chicken casserole, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and wheatberries. Oh yeah, and I drank this delicious, monster blood orange Italian soda. (Not all at once though; I rationed it throughout my birthday weekend.)


It was so hot up there on that patio, but I don't think you can tell by the picture.

That night Henry and I had dinner at Chez Zee for the first time. To be honest, I chose this restaurant based on a Yelp recommendation of their fried pickles, and we were pretty disappointed. The pickles were sliced so thinly that they were just like eating pickle-flavored potato chips. Salty and sad. The entrees were pretty good, but it was hard to recover from the dissatisfaction of the appetizer.

Afterwards we went to Ulta, Old Navy, and another Whole Foods store for some light shopping. It was a low-key day to be sure, but that's what I wanted. Last year I had a dinner party with lots of friends, and it was a lot of fun. This year I wasn't feeling up to the fanfare.

Late that night my parents arrived at our apartment ready for good food and family time. The next day we had TacoDeli tacos for breakfast, and then Mom, Henry, and I went shopping at DSW and Target. Later that afternoon we met my niece and nephews and their significant others for an early dinner at Trudy's (Mmm, stuffed avocado), and then we saw Midnight in Paris at the Violet Crown. Cute movie that the whole family (especially my dad!) liked at a hip, artsy downtown theater.

On Sunday we cut into my cake. It was exactly what I wanted: lemon chiffon with strawberry/lemon filling.

Courtesy of Kerbey Lane Bakery

Henry and I added the citrusy slices to the top ourselves. Got the idea here (via Design Mom).

It was a good birthday. Twenty-six isn't so bad.

Happy Fourths

2011-07-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

I. We spent the Fourth of July in Houston with my parents, my oldest sister, Henry's brother, our sister-in-law, and our sweet and very calm baby nephew.

Oh, almost forgot. In our way into town, we also stopped for my two year old second cousin's birthday party. It was fun seeing my aunt and cousins.

J with the helicopter toy we bought for her.

On Monday we stuffed ourselves silly with all kinds of grilled goodness (Meatless Monday was an afterthought that day...). That night we watched a free concert they have every year in my hometown.

Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88s

My dad loves this band. They do covers of music from the 1950s and 60s. Once their show was over, it was time for fireworks. Henry took about 50 pictures of fireworks, and for the first time ever, they actually look pretty good. It makes it hard to choose a favorite, so here's a few.

II. Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been four years already, but those first two years that we spent finishing school were kind of crazy. It's been a great four years though. Henry truly is my best friend, and every day of my life is blessed with him in it. Marriage is everything I hoped it could be and more.

So last night after Henry got home from work, we set up our tripod and tried to get some nice anniversary photos. Technically speaking, they aren't the greatest, but I still like them.

We went to dinner last night at Jasper's. It was a good restaurant for an anniversary because it wasn't too crowded, the food was really good, and it had that fancy, special occasion feel without being stuffy.

We ordered Thai chicken wantons with sweet mango chile sauce.

And baked potato salad. Really good, but rich.

And we split the Texas Peach Barbecued Pork Tenderloin entree. Also very good.

For dessert we attempted this huge trio: rocky road ice cream sandwich, vanilla dessert toast, and dark chocolate molten cake with dulce de leche. Oh my goodness. We almost finished all of it. Almost.

Good dinner. Now it's time for me to pack up once again for another trip to Houston and New Orleans this weekend. Ah, summer. I still like you and the adventure you bring.

Sweet Summer

2011-06-10T13:15:00.001-05:00

At this time last week, I was packing up my last few boxes of therapy materials and turning in the keys to my office, which means I have officially completed my first week of summer vacation. It's been a good week. I survived 9 1/2 hours outside in the Texas heat (98-103 degrees were the estimates) as a volunteer at Cub Scouts Day Camp. (Surprisingly, I enjoyed myself--mostly--and didn't get irritated the whole day, but when it was over I felt exhausted. That was on Monday. On Tuesday I was a complete bum.) We finally pulled off the Pinewood Derby on Wednesday night. I went to the gym twice this week and ran errands by myself. I've also read more than usual and started a few personal projects.

Summer feels like a time of rejuvenation for me. Since I have two and a half months off from work, it's a time for me to refocus on my personal pursuits. Throughout the school year, I stay busy, busy. Now is my time to take a new look at my goals, make new plans, and as Dave Ramsey would say, attack them with gazelle-like intensity, allowing for afternoon naps of course.

These are my summer plans:

Medicaid billing. This is one that I want to quickly mark off my list as it is not fun in the slightest. I have two weeks left to do from December '10 and the whole month of January '11 to do. Ugh.
Participate in The June Challenge to Draw Closer to God. I'm finally making more progress on my Old Testament reading!
Write in my gratitude journal every day this summer (or at least 85% of days if we're being honest)
Exercise three times per week for the month of June, at least twice a week for the month of July
Read some classic books, plus I need to finish the two other books I've started (Two-Invention and The Help)
Organize my closet--this is one I've started this week
Participate in the Ultimate Austin Scavenger Hunt. Henry and I marked three things off our list last night. Hopefully tonight we'll hit one more.
Learn more about nutrition and healthy cooking. After contemplating on several separate occasions, I bought Michael Pollan's Food Rules last night. I've also started reading through the blog Word of Wisdom Living. This summer I hope to drastically increase my veggie & fruit intake/cut back on meat. I think these are both great resources.
Research/expand our food storage. Hopefully this will go right along with the point above. Sadly, I have about 15 cans of expired food sitting on my kitchen counter right now that I need to throw out...I want to create a system to avoid that in the future. A friend recently recommended a few blogs to check out for getting started, but I haven't looked through them yet.
Plan fun things to do for my New Orleans and Cabo trips! Please leave recommendations if you have any...
Learn more about photography--read book, practice
Learn about Illustrator--I bought a small text book from Nicole's Classes, so now I need to actually read it and play around with it. A new header/background could be in this blog's future.
Turn my college blog into a book--has anyone out there done this before? What service do you recommend?

I have a few smaller things I want to work on too, but I'll keep those to myself lest you think I'm crazy. I don't think I'm crazy, but I am an overachiever. But anyway, those are the main ones...and I'm excited about getting things done!

a reminder

2011-05-18T22:11:00.001-05:00

via cardigan empire

I've been MIA lately. I plan to change that in two weeks when the school year is OVER, but in the meantime, this is something good to ponder. We are eternal.

Crofter's Organic Superfruit Crepes

2011-04-30T10:30:00.003-05:00

I didn't have to work on Good Friday, and I wanted to make something special for breakfast to celebrate. So off I went to my kitchen to make crepes for the very first time.

There were two reasons I chose to make crepes:
1. A while ago I received a coupon to try Crofter's Superfruit Spread, and I wanted to do something more with it than put it on toast (though that's a perfectly fine option).
2. I've been wanting to eat at an expensive little crepe trailer in South Austin for several months. Making them at home took care of that craving.

I started with my jar of the North America Superfruit Spread and went to work making the crepes. I made 2 servings, which ended up yielding four crepes. What you see below are basically the ingredients you'll need: an egg, all-purpose flour, milk, water, and (not pictured) butter. I added a touch of vanilla because I already had it out, and who doesn't love vanilla? I mixed those together in my bowl and then stuck it back in the fridge. I read in another recipe that if you let the batter settle in the fridge for an hour, it will make the crepes less bumpy and lumpy.

But I didn't let it sit for that long. I kept it in there for as long as it took me to make some whipped cream (or as we say in my family, "whip cream." Maybe it's a Southern thing.)

If you've never made your own, you really should. It's easy and tastes so good. I probably should've cut this recipe in half, but I didn't. I piled lots of whip cream inside and on top of my crepes and had plenty left over for an impromptu fruit salad.

Once the whip cream was ready, I went back to making the crepes. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I switched up things with the butter. I was supposed to mix melted butter into the batter, but I think I used it all to oil my frying pan. No wonder it seemed like SO MUCH butter. Ha! The crepes tasted just fine though...

I was worried that it'd be tricky to flip the crepes, but that was actually pretty easy because they curled up at the edges. The tricky part was spreading the batter quickly (quickly!) and evenly in the pan before it could really start cooking.

Assembling the crepes was fast. I spread a line of Superfruit down the center, layered some whip cream on top and folded it over burrito style.

Of course I loaded more whip cream on top too. Yumm.

They were rich and filling, so I only ate half of my three. I saved the leftovers for Henry, and when he got home, he said, "These are good. Where'd you get the berries?"

I will definitely make these again. The mix of blueberries, cranberries, red grapes, and morello cherries is on the tart side, so the whipped cream balanced it out with a little (or if you're like me, a lot of) sweet. I liked using the Crofter's Superfruit Spread because I didn't have to prep anything for the filling, yet it packed an antioxidant-filled, flavorful punch. I wish I could have some right now.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T12:06:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday for Activity Days, the girls dyed Easter eggs, and I got to dye one too.

My little chick looks scared, doesn't he? It makes me smile. The sugar cookies were a gift from my coworker who isn't even Christian. I thought that was sweet of her!

Our Activity Days leader shared this about Easter eggs, which I thought was interesting:

The most popular Easter tradition today is the egg. The story of the egg dates from ancient times in India and Egypt, where it was regarded as a symbol of cosmic beginnings. Some religions believed the universe was produced from an egg, thinking that an egg, regarded as dead, had the capability of releasing new life after having been shattered. Consequently, the egg early became associated with the theme of resurrection.

The custom of early Christians in Europe and the Near East was to exchange Easter eggs. However, other religions at that same time also may have influenced this Christian practice. In the fourteenth century a European monarch dyed some eggs, covered others with gold leaf, and distributed them to friends and servants. In Europe and the Baltics, colored eggs became very ornate and the paintings on cooked and glass eggs became works of art. Sometimes the egg shell was pierced and the egg blown out; the shell was then plastered and painted. The more ornate the art on an egg, the more highly the recipient was esteemed. In Christian Europe, red eggs became very popular, the color being derived from the blood of the Atonement. Celebrants would carry eggs in their pockets and give them to friends and relatives whom they visited. Source

I like the symbolism of death bringing new life, like the Savior's resurrection.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2011-04-22T11:35:00.002-05:00

Our ward had a bake sale a week and a half ago to collect tubes of toothpaste for a service project. What, that doesn't make perfect sense to you?

It worked like this: people volunteered to bring baked goods or offered a service (babysitting, tutoring, tech help, etc.) for the silent auction, and then everyone came in with their toothpaste to purchase or bid on the items. Youth conference is coming up, and the youth in our ward were asked to collect one thousand tubes of toothpaste, which will be added to hygiene kits for people in Haiti and Japan.

Through a friend's blog, I recently came across a cooking blog called Annie's Eats. Let's not dwell on the fact that this woman is a doctor, a new mom, and somehow she finds the time to create and perfect her own recipes. She creates cupcakes for all of her coworkers' birthdays. Oh, and she maintains a really pretty blog, duh. My mind cannot fathom...

Anyway, I chose her Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake recipe for the bake sale. Instead of using the icing she paired with these cupcakes, I chose the one listed here. It tasted like a buttery strawberry milkshake. Henry loved it. I thought it was good, but a little too buttery for me. We still have a baggy of the icing sitting in our fridge, anyone want it? I'm not sure what to do with it.

I didn't get to attend the actual bake sale, but Henry said they sold well. One of our friends bought two. Another family came up and tried one, and then later returned to buy the remaining nine!

As for the toothpaste, I'd say the bake sale/silent auction served its purpose well; we collected 1,467 tubes!

What I Bought

2011-04-09T16:49:00.003-05:00

I'm having a pretty low-key weekend over here. For the first time in a month, I'm NOT leaving Austin city limits this weekend. Henry went on a camp out with some of the guys/youth from church, and I'm primarily hanging out at home (aside from trips to Sprouts, the gym, and Hobby Lobby). It feels good to be at home.

After sharing my photos from Antique Week, someone asked what I actually bought. Then I realized none of the things I bought were pictured, so I thought I'd come back and share.

The first thing I knew I wanted to buy was this blue jar. My other blue mason jar was feeling lonely. Both jars were purchased from my niece.

My second purchase was this wooden tray, which I'm using as a centerpiece on my dining room table. The candles and flowers on top of the tray came from Hobby Lobby today. I also bought another stick of silk flowers and some little plastic green apples so I can switch things out later.

And though I didn't buy any tiny stools, I did come home with two large red ones.

I'm happy with my purchases (although I secretly, or perhaps not so secretly, wish that mini schnauzer puppy were here keeping me company right now).

P.S. Antique Week is a biannual event! I think the next show will be in late September or October.

No. 4: Visit a Texas City I've Never Been to Before

2011-04-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I met my mom in Warrenton, Texas for the huge Show Daily Antique Week that's held there every year. My niece Karly had a tent there for her business and invited us to go. It was so neat to search through what seemed like mile after mile of antiques, crafts, and junk.

I almost came home with this puppy, but Henry said no. I cried a little when we put her back...someday.

No. 28: Skillet Chicken Vesuvio

2011-03-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

I made this for dinner on Friday. Simple to make, but very flavorful. It got a "pretty good" rating from Henry, which means we'll probably have it again.

And here's a picture from today (taken by Henry):

Love.

Spring Break '11: Austin

2011-03-18T22:55:00.002-05:00

all of these photos were taken with my iPhone. not bad, eh?

It's Friday. That means my Spring Break is officially coming to an end. Here are some highlights from this week:

Finished February Medicaid billing and all that can be done for March!
Got my eyes examined (new contacts!)
Read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Made progress on These Is My Words (savoring it)
Went to an Etsy Austin SXSW party
Took some ridiculous, unflattering photobooth pics
Had dinner at Maggiano's, including marshmallow creme chocolate torte (so good!), with a Christmas gift card
Lunched with Henry at Jax Cafe
Free lunched at a med spa where I won a free mini-facial and some anti-aging lotion samples
Slept a lot
Blogged ~~three~~ four times
Made three new digiscrapped pages
Went to the temple
Played games and had dinner with friends
Went grocery shopping by myself
Met Henry's coworkers and saw his cubicle for the first time

Saw a free Neon Trees show
Kind of saw the free Strokes show, but really ended up talking to Cristy on the phone instead
Made skillet chicken vesuvio (a new recipe)
Watched The A-Team with my hubby

In the midst of these activities, I realized that concerts (even if they are free) are really not my thing anymore. Too much smoke. I hate it. I was reminded over and over though that I really love my city. I'm glad we get to stick around for a while.

No. 26: Paint Something

2011-03-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

Back in January, Henry and I went to Art Attack and chose to paint a bowl.

I wish I could say that this was a fun and relaxing experience, but it mostly wasn't. We went on this particular Saturday out of obligation to use a Livingsocial deal I'd purchased a few months earlier. (I discovered the day before that my deal expired the following Monday, and by golly, we weren't going to let it go to waste.) So off we went at the end of a super Saturday (on our way back home from a trip to the temple, dinner in San Marcos, and who can remember what else), a little grumpier than we should have been.

You could say we had a difference of opinion in terms of artistic technique (I'm a perfectionist, he's not), but in the end, we compromised: I got to darken the outside of the bowl, but I didn't triple wipe down each little dot on the rim. We are both happy with the way it turned out, and our marriage is still intact. =)

I've made progress on a few more of my 101 goals too. Since my last update, I've printed the photos for my coasters (No. 31), and, as mentioned in my last post, I got a facial (No. 56). I also exercised three times per week throughout February. I haven't exercised that much in a long, long time, if ever! I'm also working on the goal to try at least two new recipes per month. I've got a few others I'm focusing on too.

I do have a question for my fellow 101ers: What are you going to do if you don't achieve a goal on your list? There's one on my list that I didn't do so hot on (No. 76: Don't use credit cards for anything other than gas/food/medicine in Jan and Feb 2011). Totally forgot about all the expenses connected to the wedding. I'm thinking I'm just going to replace it with a new goal. What do you think?

Laura's Lake Travis Wedding

2011-03-14T16:32:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about how to write this post for a day or two now, and I haven't really found a good way to organize my thoughts. We'll see what this morphs into. I want it to be part family record, part informational for those MOHs out there searching for ideas like I was.

Let's start on a sentimental note. This was my niece's wedding, and she asked me to be her matron of honor. It truly was an honor to be there by her side, so intimately involved in the planning. I've mentioned before that my family lines are kind of confusing (if you only knew the whole of it!). Here's what you need to know for this story: Laura is my oldest half-sister's daughter. She's four months older than me, so we grew up together. We spent a good portion of our childhood wearing matching outfits, scheming together, and laughing hysterically. She'd come for visits to Houston, and we'd drive up to Austin several times a year. We were baptized on the same day. We went to girls' camp together. She was my slightly taller, half-Mexican twin. Our childhoods very much intertwined. When I moved to Austin in 2003, we'd hang out, but as work and school took precedence, we didn't spend as much time together as I wish we would have. So I really appreciate the time we got to spend together as we planned her wedding. I feel like it brought back that closeness that we used to have, and I want to work harder to keep up that relationship from here on out.

I thought the wedding itself was perfect. The bishop from my sister's ward performed the ceremony, and it was short, but still special. The weather was perfect (in the 70's and sunny). Laura looked absolutely beautiful. I think we all teared up during the ceremony. The only thing that wasn't perfect was that I started getting sick the day before the wedding, but I survived and didn't feel completely terrible until the day after the wedding.

Ok, now for some of the details.

Beauty: I really spoiled myself in preparation for this wedding. I didn't do a lot of these things for my own wedding, and I kicked myself afterward. Wedding photos are forever, and even if you aren't the bride, you want to look your best. So...I think I blew my allowance for the next six months.

I got a manicure and pedicure from Arboretum Nails and Spa. I will be a returning customer. I got to watch 13 Going on 30 while my hands and feet were worked over. My toes were painted a perfect raspberry color called Miss Bossy Pants.
I got a spray tan from Palm Beach Tan. When I last checked, they had a coupon up for a free one at the Austin locations. Not orange, not streaky, just a nice bronzing to tone down the bright white. I do recommend two things though: pay the extra $2 for the scent and use a ton of that blending lotion on your hands and feet.
Eyebrow threading + facial (marked it off my 101 list!) from Nahid
Taryn of Bird's Barbershop did our hair and makeup. She made me feel really pretty, and she was super nice and affordable. Like I couldn't believe how little she charged me for a hair + eyeshadow trial plus the day-of updo and makeup. Awesome.

Ceremony Details:

Venue: Vintage Villas
We walked to an instrumental version of U2's Beautiful Day
She walked to The Section Quartet's Such Great Heights
All of the flowers came from HEB (neither the bouquets nor the centerpieces were arranged the way she wanted, but we were able to fix it)

Dinner Details:

Place cards were a good idea, but I wish I hadn't started them a week in advance because some people said they couldn't come/were moved to different tables at the last minute. I had to buy a new pack of cards the morning of the wedding and recycled many of the name cards.
At first we were going to make a fancy seating chart, and then we were going to have ushers with an alphabetized list, but in the end people just kind of wandered around to find their seats. :/ It worked.
Laura and Michael's sweetheart table with the birds and candles turned out cute.

Reception Details:

Their first dance was to Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man.
My nephew Shannon, his girlfriend Christin, and their friend Brad did an amazing job on the photobooth. Christin made those flowers and the mustaches herself. The guests were streaming through there. I can't wait to see the photos!

Loved the cake bar. She got three cakes from 620 Bakery and two cakes from Kerbey Lane Bakery.

Yum. I'm totally having that lemon chiffon cake with strawberry filling and candied lemon zest as my 26th birthday cake.

Is this now the longest post ever? Feels like it.

Congratulations, Laura and Michael!

mantra

2011-03-07T21:55:00.002-06:00

this is one of the quotes I live by. over the last four years, honestly, it has helped me avoid many a hissy fit/panic attack/meltdown. because things in life have a tendency of working themselves out, either through the Lord's mercy, hard work, time or all three. maybe it could work for you too?

there's no particular reason I'm posting this today other than I saw it in my google reader.

p.s. the wedding went off without any noticeable hitches! I'll be back to write about it next week {spring break}. I need to focus on work right now...and getting myself and hubby over this cold we've contracted in our household.

p.p.s. along the same lines..."check yo'self before you wreck yo'self"

Pink and Black Bridal Shower

2011-02-22T22:19:00.001-06:00

We're nine days out from my niece's wedding. After what feels like many, many conversations and days spent planning, I think we're mostly prepared for the big day. All the big decisions have finally been made. All that's left is the seating arrangement cards and a few personal items for me like what shoes and jewelry to wear. Oh yeah, and the marriage license!

This past weekend my mom and I threw Laura's bridal shower.

It went something like this:

Friday--5 PM Mom and Dad arrive at my apartment.
5:15-6:45 PM I sit at the table and make lots of little paper birds. Henry hangs fuschia paper lanterns from the ceiling. I direct the placement of said lanterns.

6:45 Leave for Laura's dress fitting. Park Dad and Henry at David's Bridal while Mom and I shop at Ulta next door.
7-8:50 PM Laura tries on her dress, we debate whether one side is longer than the other, alterations lady measures and sure enough it is. Wait while the alteration people fix it. I try on the two modest dresses in the whole store. Mom tries on and purchases her dress for the wedding.
9:00 PM Head to Mimi's Cafe for dinner.
9:15-10:30 Eat dinner at Mimi's. Discuss options for bridal shower games. Choose three. Ask Laura questions for the trivia game. Look at cupcake options for bridal shower. Create a grocery list for the bridal shower.
10:45 Drop Dad off at my apartment and head over to Laura's.
11:00-11:45 Shop at HEB.
12:00 AM Come home and fall fast asleep.

Saturday is fuzzy, but I do know this:
8:45 AM-2:15 PM Henry works like a slave preparing all of the food. He doesn't even stop to eat breakfast or lunch. My husband is a superstar...or a martyr for the cause, you decide.

Somewhere in there, I created the documents for the games, took my mom with me to exercise at the gym, bought presents for Laura at Target, bought vitamins at Sprouts, showered, and cleaned the apartment as quickly as I could---with Mom's help. As I was running around like crazy on Saturday, I kept thinking that there was no way in the world that I would've been able to prepare everything without the help of my family. Even though some of us weren't the happiest about it, it was still neat to see us working as a team to get things done.

Looking back at these pictures, it doesn't look too fancy to me, but it was a lot. of. work.

I loved the fruit tray. Laura brought over her little crockpot set, and we melted chocolate for dipping.


Pink lemonade + Sprite punch

Graham cupcakes with Key Lime frosting (Cupcake 32)

We ended up playing 2/3 games: bridal trivia and Laura trivia.


There was debate over Laura's actual shoe size, so she had to double check. =)

After the games, she opened her presents.

You see that mirror to the right of her? She didn't notice that it was a present. Her reaction when we told her she had one present left was pretty funny because it took her a while to figure out what we were talking about. hehe.

Once she finished opening presents, we set up my tripod and took 15 group shots. 15! I don't think any of them need to be posted on the Internet...

I think all in all it was a good party. It was just the right size for my apartment, and I think everyone had a good time. Most of us went over to Laura's apartment for the "after party" where we had our hair and makeup trials.

Here's a sneaky peek of my updo for the wedding. I'm excited about it!

Heart in a Cupcake

2011-02-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

I made cupcakes on Friday...because I love cupcakes...and it worked out well to have company over to help eat up the dozen.

This was my first attempt at baking a shape into a cupcake. I saw this recipe for baking a heart into a cupcake through one of the facebook pages I like and thought it looked really cute. I swapped the cake recipe from that site for Cupcake 23 from Cupcake Heaven. I don't know that I would recommend this cake without a filling because it was a little dry and dense. If you're wondering at this point why I didn't use the Bake it in a Cake recipe, I will tell you: that little half of a vanilla bean. Didn't want to go to the store (possibly multiple stores) to search for it.


As you can see in the left corner, some of the hearts did NOT stay in place

Strawberry Laffy Taffy Buttercream Frosting

Making the hearts was easy, getting them to stand in the cake batter was another story. Making the frosting required a little more effort than I normally put into frosting, but it was yummy. Note: The melted Laffy Taffy + heavy cream hardened a little while cooling in my fridge, even though the recipe said it wouldn't. I reheated it for about 10 seconds before dumping it in with the butter and powdered sugar.

When I iced them, I made sure to keep track of which way the hearts were facing. I put a line of sprinkles across the top to mark where the top of the hearts were...or so I thought...and I put sprinkles all over the ones that I knew were already messed up.

Most of the cupcakes looked like this once we bit into them:

A nice Valentine's quadrilateral. Is that a trapezoid?

But then, yesterday afternoon I cut one in half and spied this.

An almost heart!

So...I can't say I'd recommend baking hearts into a cupcake. Henry and I agreed that these were the most dramatic cupcakes ever. We may or may not have gotten into a little argument while making them. Can't even remember what it was about...but yeah. They took a long time to make, and we were both very tired when all was said and done.

I would, however, recommend the Strawberry Laffy Taffy Buttercream Frosting. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use this frosting for my niece Laura's bridal shower next weekend. It will be on different cupcakes with nary a heart inside.

And since it's Valentine's Day (hope you have a good one!), I want to leave you with a lovey song that makes me happy. Click here and press play. =)

The Weekend

2011-02-13T17:50:00.001-06:00

MIL, FIL, & Aunt Aida.

For the second weekend in a row, we had parts of Henry's family over for lunch! Last Sunday, my mother-in-law, SIL, BIL, and nieces came over. This time, Henry's dad and his Aunt Aida came too. Since my in-laws are about to embark on a two-year mission to Siberia(!), Aida wanted to visit the family one last time before they leave. She flew in from California on Friday, and they came up to Austin yesterday afternoon. We ate Thai food from Madam Mam's and just enjoyed our time together. This was only the second time I'd been around Aida, but I can tell she is a very gentle, thoughtful, and intelligent woman. She's a librarian, so it was fun to hear her opinion of popular books.

We also got to love on our new niece Mary.


I just might die from the cuteness...my goodness.

I'm glad we have family so close by. I'm particularly thankful for our relationship with Henry's sister Lara and her husband William (the mutual friend mentioned in my last post). And of course they've introduced two very cute little girls into our lives whom we love. That's nice.

I'm feeling a little mushy today, can you tell? Maybe it's the proximity of Valentine's Day?

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2011-02-09T22:36:00.001-06:00

Henry and I participated in a dating panel for the youth (ages 12-17) at our church tonight. We were definitely the youngest couple there (both in age and in terms of the length of our marriage), and I have no idea how we were picked (though we were called "the cutest couple in the ward" once before...thanks Nadine!). But seriously, I hope no one was disappointed after hearing our answers.

With all of the rehashing of my dating experiences tonight, I realized I haven't written much about the beginnings for me and Henry. I alluded to our first date and wrote about the proposal, but I haven't really told the story of how we met. Plus I have some unusual, if you will, dating memories that are lingering in my brain that I would like to share.

So here it goes...I'm going to pose questions as if someone were actually asking me...

How did you meet Henry?
The short answer: He showed up unannounced on my doorstep. The long answer: It was the year 2004, August to be specific. Henry had just returned from his two-year mission for our church, and our mutual friend William (who is now our brother-in-law...'nother story) invited Henry to a Bible studyish group (FHE to the LDS folks) that was held on Monday nights at my apartment. Henry likes to be early, so he was the first one to arrive rather consistently and a friendship developed.

Was it "love at first sight?"
Nope. I was in a long-distance, pretty serious relationship at the time, so I didn't think of Henry in a romantic way until about six months after I broke up with the other guy. We were friends for a little over a year before we started dating. He didn't have a car, so I'd give him rides here and there before we started dating.

What changed for you?
Kind of interesting...so between the time I got out of the serious, long-distance relationship and when I started dating Henry, I dated quite a few guys. I was 19/20 years old. I decided I was done with serious dating for a while, and I wanted to have fun and get to know a lot of people. I went on multiple dates with two guys, one who I was attracted to and one who was just fun to hang out with as friends. I let the latter guy know I didn't see any potential for a romantic relationship with him, but the former "relationship" was kind of a "yes, we should date/no, we shouldn't/yes, we should/oh wait, no we shouldn't" situation. The final "no, we shouldn't" was a teensy bit hard because there was chemistry there, but ya know, that's certainly not all that matters. What seemed like the very day after this "break-up" (using these terms loosely because we were never boyfriend/girlfriend), this guy texted me. All it said was "I think you should date Henry." First I thought, "the nerve!" Then I also recalled how on another date (maybe the only one I went on with this particular guy), Henry came up in the conversation, and we pretty much talked about his coolness. Pretty soon I was thinking, "hmmm...maybe he's on to something..." After that, I realized that maybe Henry was interested in me already (and maybe the other guy picked up on this, and that's why he sent the text. If I ever talk to that particular person again, I will definitely ask him why he decided to tell me that).

What did you do for your first date?
We went on a double date with our wonderful friends Dave & Serena. We saw a play at St. Edward's University about Cesar Chavez's life. Random activity (Dave was a professor at St. Ed's so he got the tickets for free or discounted at least), but that didn't matter so much because it still gave us a chance to really talk to each other and spend time together (both one-on-one and with our good friends). We went back to Henry and Dave's apartment (they were roommates) and ate ice cream after the play. Our first date felt different from other first dates because I already had a crush on Henry. I was excited and nervous.

How long did you date before you were engaged?
18 months to the day.

How long from first date to wedding day?
21 months to the day. 7+7+7=21. That's how I chose the date of our wedding.

That's all I've got for tonight. Any other questions?

Snow Day 2011

2011-02-06T19:58:00.000-06:00

There was a lot of hype this week about the possibility of snow in central Texas. It was supposed to arrive late Thursday night. One to two inches, the weatherman said. I know that is nothing to people in other parts of the country, and we realize that's not a lot of snow here too, BUT Texas is totally unprepared for any snowy/icy weather. It's okay if you make fun of us; we like to poke fun at ourselves too.

Sure enough, around 10 PM a little snow began to dust the ground. Henry and I went outside to check things out and witnessed our funny maintenance man doing donuts in the parking lot in his golf cart. We had a good chuckle about that.

We went to bed Thursday night hopeful for a late start for work the next morning, but I didn't think we'd realistically get one. May I mention that many of the area school districts announced that they'd have delayed starts early Thursday evening while mine did not make a decision until 5 am Friday. Boo...but yay because at 5:30 the next morning, Henry woke me up to tell me that we both got a snow day! An entire day off from work. A three-day weekend. So greatly appreciated.

5:30 AM

Early that morning, when the sun was still hidden, we went out for a walk. We were outside for about 45 minutes, and I really couldn't feel my fingers by the end of our adventure (I really hope you clicked that link above).


Henry throwing a snowball at me

It was perfect. The snow was fluffy and blanketed the ground throughout our neighborhood, but it started melting away early in the afternoon. By one o'clock, we were heading out for lunch at Mighty Fine Burgers and running some wedding related shopping errands. Fun. Then yesterday it was 60 degrees and sunny. Today it was 70 degrees and sunny. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot!

No. 19: A Photo Workshop

2011-02-01T21:12:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday I participated in Kristen Duke's Say No! to Auto photography workshop. Let me start off by saying that I'm so glad I did!

When I put "take a photography class" on my 101 list, I never thought I'd be able to mark it off so quickly. I got my dSLR in December 2009, and since then I've toyed with the idea of taking courses through the local community college, online, and via a Groupon offer. I didn't feel ready to commit to any of those options though. Out of my budget. Too time consuming. No idea what the class size/environment would be like. (I'm making this sound like a life-altering decision, I'm sure, but I didn't want to go down an avenue that would be a waste of my time or money, you know?) But when Kristen posted a link on facebook about this workshop, I thought it sounded perfect for me:

Afternoon commitment.
Affordable price.
Small class size (10-15 students).
I already knew Kristen,* and I knew she wouldn't scam me!

We all met at Kristen's house, which was nice and cozy. She started by giving us all a packet with our textbooks for the day, one large, more detailed spiral and a smaller one to take on the go. We jumped right in and learned how to adjust ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

And Kristen explained the basics for figuring out where to start with each setting. She also shared her tips for getting great portraits and doing basic photo editing.

The information was a little confusing at first, but it started making sense once we practiced. We took a walk to an open field down the street from Kristen's house.

First we took pictures of our model and Kristen's assistant/photographer for the workshop, Jenny Polson.

Then Kristen asked us to pair off with a partner to practice some more. Naturally, I picked my friend Laura. I tried to get some fun backlit ones...

But this one is my favorite. You're so beautiful, Laura!

So, the bottom line: I loved the workshop. Not only did I finally get a grasp on ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, but it was also so much fun! I can't wait to practice, practice, and practice some more...and my husband thought I took a lot of photos before...he ain't seen nothing yet!

*Kristen took photos of me and my husband in February 2009. I was so impressed with her kindness and the quality of her images. She took the photo we had made into a canvas print that now hangs above our TV.

You can read Kristen's recaps of the workshop here and here. Click on over.

P.S.

2011-01-30T20:04:00.002-06:00

I wore my Ninja Dress to church today.

Thanks for buying it for me, sweetheart. I am spoiled, but we both already knew that.

No. 16: Organize Craft Boxes

2011-01-30T19:23:00.002-06:00

I have officially crossed off four items from my 101 in 1001! One is not so exciting (updating my address on my driver's license), but I think I will post pictures and/or write a lil somethin' somethin' about the others.

Here are some pictures of number 16. Organize and label craft storage boxes. This was one of those things I'd been meaning to do forever ago, and my list finally motivated me to do it! Same with the driver's license change.

It feels so good to be productive and to get organized!

Dad's 80th Birthday Book

2011-01-27T17:19:00.002-06:00

A few months ago, my dad turned 80, and since you only have one 80th birthday (to my knowledge), I wanted to do a little something to commemorate the occasion (and really my dad's life too). Because my dad is great, and he should know it. So, with my trusty sidekick, I endeavored to make a memory/guest book of sorts. Dad complained that all of the pictures of him throughout his life + this guest book made his party feel a little too funeralish, but in the end I think he liked it. ;)

We finished the book, my sidekick taping and me positioning, late on the night of January 16th. It was ready just in time for Mom to take it home to Dad on MLK Day.

I got to use my new die cut on some of the edges. That made me happy.

And this was my favorite submission:

Maybe you just have to know Brother R.

Dad called and thanked us for the book the next day. He seemed excited to show it to some his friends, so I think this project was a success.

Photowalk Austin: Travis Heights

2011-01-14T18:06:00.001-06:00

date: 1/1/11

neighborhood: travis heights

It's Friday, and I don't know about you, but I'm tiiiired. I thought these bright photos might add some cheer to this cold, damp, and foggy day...

not that I'm not cheery under this layer of tiredness...uh, hello, 3-day weekend!!!!!

101 in 1001: The First Week

2011-01-09T18:38:00.002-06:00

I'm going to try to update my 101 in 1001 list with my progress each Sunday. I've also decided that I won't be updating the page I created (that's the one linked at the top of my blog) except to mark off goals I've completed. If you're confused at this point, don't worry about it. It's just that the post and the page are two different things, and it's kind of a hassle to have to update both each time I want to change something.

Anyway, I think I got off to a good start for my first week! These are goals I've started working on:

10. Clean out Google Reader: only leave most favorite blogs. I started with 180 blogs, and I've cut back to 136. I think I still need to do some purging though.
13. Shred documents in office once per month for six months. Pictured above. If we're being perfectly honest though (as we should always strive to be), I only did a small portion of the shredding that ended up in that large garbage bag. Henry did most. But I did help.
15. Spend 30 minutes each Saturday reviewing my schedule for the coming week for the rest of the 2010-2011 school year.
21. Photowalk around neighborhoods in Austin (South Congress, Downtown, South Lamar, Hyde Park, Campus, 360 area, etc.). I want to devote new posts to each neighborhood I visit.
33. Keep a family calendar for 2011.
47. Read the entire Old Testament (1184 pages). This one is slooow going.

48. Read the Book of Mormon as a family in 2011.

50. Study topics for Sharing Time one month in advance in 2011.

51. Do something, anything, to have Family Home Evening each week.

57 57. Exercise twice a week every week for 3 months in 2011.

72. Compile a family birthday list.

76. Don’t use credit cards for anything other than gas + food + medicine in January and February 2011.

77. Pay off all student loans by mid 2011.

86. Read 10 nonfiction books. Started Blink.

I have four more goals I'd like to work on this month too, but I'm not sure if I'll get to them. My niece who is four months older than me (unusual family) is getting married the first week of March, and it is time to really move into high gear for planning her wedding!

dang, it feels good to be a ninja

2011-01-08T22:48:00.002-06:00

Yesterday marked three and a half years since Henry and I tied the knot. I don't know why these dates stand out in my mind, but they do, so why not celebrate them, right?

So last night we went on a date at The Domain. The plan was to eat dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy (love) with some Christmas gift cards, but we quickly nixed that idea when we found out there was an hour+ wait for a table. An hour to an hour and a half for a table for two? Yikes. It's good, but we were hungry. We also wanted to make a run by Anthropologie before 9, and it was already 7:30.

Instead of Maggiano's, we stopped to share some yogurt. Ginger lemonade + caramel cheesecake is actually yummy. Then I convinced Henry to let me "window shop" in The Limited where I begged my way into two new shirts. Paid cash per our budget agreement though, so I didn't have to beg too much. Then off we went to Anthropologie.

We easily located the timer I wanted to buy, but since they are currently having a SALE, we had to look at everything in the store. That's the way it works, right? While I was sifting through the SALE racks, I asked Henry to open my wallet and look for my Anthro card. He did, said he found it, and that was that. We continued to look at things in the store. We both like the fabric covered fancy books they sell there and decided we could devote a portion of our home budget to a pretty copy of Robin Hood.

Next something magic and mystical happened. As we turned around to make our way to the cashier, the very SALE rack I'd just browsed minutes before had new items on it. Dresses! (I'm kind of a sucker for dresses.) Wouldn't you know there was a lovely printed dress there in my size? So I tried it on along with another full-priced dress for good measure.

I liked the dress a lot, and I was a little bit puzzled when I told Henry that I wanted to buy it. He seemed so okay with it. I didn't have to beg or plead or pout, even though I was pretty sure I had just spent the entire clothing budget at The Limited. So strange, but when you're getting what you want, you just roll with it.

We got up to the counter with our timer, the pretty book, and my lovely dress, and the cashier asked if we had an Anthro card. I said yes, and then Henry looked confused. Coming to find out, when I'd asked him earlier to find my card, he thought I meant a gift card, a gift card to pay for the purchase of my lovely dress.

.......

And that is how I unknowingly tricked my husband into buying me the lovely dress from Anthro. Completely and unintentionally bamboozled him. That's like the ultimate stealth. I'm so good, I don't even know how good I am. Henry's doomed if we have any daughters.

101 in 1001

2011-01-02T22:42:00.027-06:00

one hundred and one things in one thousand and one days.

start: 1/1/11 / end: 9/27/13

in progress: italic / completed: ~~strikethrough~~
progress updated on 11/29/11

Travel

1. ~~Obtain a new passport.~~

2. Go on a cruise.

3. Go to 3 states I’ve never been to before (0/3).

4. ~~Visit a Texas city I’ve never been to before.~~

5. Go to three new temples I’ve never been to before (0/3).

6. Visit The Orange Show in Houston.

7. Visit two new National Parks (0/2).

8. Stay in a bed-and-breakfast once per year (0/3).

9. Visit Enchanted Rock.

Organization & Time Management

10. Clean out Google Reader: only leave most favorite blogs. (went from 180 to 100)

11. Go without social networking/reading blogs for two days per week for six months.(5/48)

12. Backup photos that are currently on computer.

13. Shred documents in office once per month for six months (1/6).

14. ~~Update address on driver’s license.~~

15. ~~Spend 30 minutes each Saturday reviewing my schedule for the coming week for the rest of the 2010-2011 school year.~~

16. ~~Organize and label craft storage boxes.~~

17. ~~Be on time to 5 out of 7 appointments for two weeks~~ (6/13-6/19/11, 6/20-6/26/11).

Developing Talents

18. Finish reading the photography book I own.

19. ~~Take a photography class.~~ (Completed with Kristen Duke on 1/29/11!)

20. ~~Research what lens to buy next.~~

21. Photowalk around neighborhoods in Austin (~~South Congress~~, Downtown, South Lamar, Hyde Park, Campus, 360 area, etc.).

22. ~~Sing karaoke.~~

23. Sing in a choir.

24. Make a header for my blog.

25. ~~Make something pretty in Illustrator.~~

26. ~~Paint something.~~ (1/22/11; painted a bowl)

27. Make my college years’ online journal into a book.

Domestication/Home Front

28. ~~Try 2 new recipes a month for 6 consecutive months (12/12).~~

29. Complete 3 chores a week for five months.

30. Follow flylady’s flight plan for a month.

31. ~~Print photos for coasters.~~

32. ~~Make a craft I can display in my home.~~

33. Keep a family calendar for 2011.

34. Build a 3-month supply of pantry foods.

35. Plant and eat vegetables from my own garden.

Experiences

36. Go to a drive-in movie theater.

37. Pick fruit at a pick-your-own farm and do something with it.

38. ~~Take a UT tower tour.~~

39. Go on a photo scavenger hunt with a group of friends.

40. Go to a Jack Johnson concert.

41. Go see a play.

42. Use our Netflix account each month for six consecutive months.

43. Swim in Hamilton Pool.

44. Attend a UT football game.

Spiritual

45. Go to the temple 12 times in 12 months—2 sealings 0/2, 9 endowment sessions 3/9, 1 baptism 1/1

46. Go to the Family History Center six times.

47. Read the entire Old Testament (421/1184 pages).

48. Read the Book of Mormon as a family in 2011 (185/531).

49. Read the New Testament as a family once we finish the BOM.

50. ~~Study topics for Sharing Time one month in advance in 2011 (7/16).~~

51. Do something, anything, to have Family Home Evening each week.

52. Write in gratitude journal every day for 3 months.

53. Write in my journal for 30 minutes each Sunday for 6 months straight.

54. 100% visiting teaching for 6 months straight.

Health

55. ~~Get a professional massage.~~

56. ~~Get a facial.~~

57. ~~Exercise twice a week every week for 3 months in 2011 (Jan 2011: 8/8, May 2011: 9/9, June 2011: 9/9).~~

58. Exercise three times a week every week for 3 months in 2011. (Feb 2011: 12/12)

59. ~~Take a reusable water bottle to work every day for 3 weeks (3/7-3/11, 4/4-4/8, 5/23-5/27).~~

60. Eat 3 servings of veggies a day for a week.

61. Eat 2 servings of fruits a day for a week.

62. Floss every day for a month.

Family & Relationships

63. Ask my dad to record five personal memories.

64. Have professional photos taken.

65. ~~Go on a girls’ weekend trip.~~

66. Go camping with my husband.

67. Send letters to Russia with love.

68. Have a "sister day" once per quarter.

69. Send one hand-written letter a month for six months.

70. Burn my old home videos to DVD & mail to my parents.

71. Compile a family email/mailing address list.

72. Compile a family birthday list.

73. Send a birthday card to parents and siblings + siblings-in-law (2/22).

74. Send a birthday card to nieces and nephews (1/21).

75. Send out a family letter at the end of 2011 and 2012.

Financial

76. Don’t use credit cards for anything other than gas + food + medicine in January and February 2011.

77. ~~Pay off all student loans by mid 2011.~~

78. ~~Purchase a new lens.~~

79. ~~Have $10K in emergency fund.~~

80. Save for a down payment on a house.

81. ~~Live off of Henry’s income and save what I earn.~~

82. Open a mutual fund.

83. Save $100 monthly for one “dream” vacation outside of the U.S.

84. Put aside $10 in savings for each task completed and put it towards “dream” vacation.

Knowledge & Career

85. Read 12 classic novels.

86. Read 10 nonfiction books (2 spiritual): The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Freakonomics, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

87. Go to an ASHA convention.

88. Update my resume.

89. Research background of SHARS/Medicaid in schools.

90. ~~Get caught up on Medicaid billing.~~

91. Spend an hour reviewing ASL vocabulary once a month for 5 months

92. Relearn 10 common phrases in Spanish.

93. Learn 10 common phrases in Mandarin.

Good

94. ~~Visit thehungersite.com every day for a month.~~

95. Choose a project on Donors Choose or Kiva and fund it.

96. Volunteer at Capital Area Food Bank.

97. Adopt a family for Christmas.

Surprise someone with flowers.

Surprise three people with treats once per year (0/9).

Make five hygiene kits.

~~Babysit for a couple so that they can go to the temple together.~~

Completed: 28/101

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.008-06:00

I don't know about you, but I'm excited for 2011! I've been thinking about goals in a new way thanks to these ladies. And I'm working on a list of goals known as 101 in 1001. It should be ready to share by Sunday.

In the meantime, I just wanted to wish anyone who reads this a happy new year!

This year we sent out New Year cards to some friends. (If you're interested in receiving one, send me your address!) I spent a TON of time at the beginning of this week making the card along with our very first family letter. Even though it was a huge time suck, I loved every second of putting it together. I want to spend more time doing things I love in 2011, how about you?

Dots
Paper
Photo Strip
Script Font (at the bottom of the card)
Heart 1, Heart 2
Date Stamps
"Happy" Word Art
"New Year" Word Art
Faking Letterpress in Photoshop
Wording Inspiration
"Wishing..." font: Myriad Pro

2010 Favorite Photos

2010-12-31T23:57:00.005-06:00

Farewell, 2010!

The Barbie Tree

2010-12-30T16:07:00.002-06:00

Growing up, I was a bit of a girly girl. I tried to like sports, but my coordination was pretty awful until I reached the age of 14ish (and even then it wasn't that great). P.E. in elementary school was okay--except for that whole Punt, Pass, and Kick thing--but P.E. in junior high was a nightmare. It was the only class I made a B in from grades 6-8. But I digress.

Girly. I loved makeup and jumped at the chance to give anyone a makeover who would let me. I also really, really loved Barbies, and I owned a lot of them. I played with them a lot a lot too. Somewhere between the ages of 10 and 25 I lost the desire to actually play with them though, so now my beloved Barbies are boxed, safely under the guardianship of my parents' shed.

But evidently my love of Barbie has not completely waned, because each year when I go home, I find myself drawn to The Barbie Tree.

Behold, The Barbie Tree!

It's white, and it doesn't have a gazillion mismatched ornaments like my parents' other tree...and all of those Barbie ornaments have been given to me as Christmas gifts over the years. I dare you to guess how many Barbie ornaments I received for Christmas this year.

Did you guess?

The answer is four. I received a fifth ornament, but it wasn't Barbie; it was Crayola, the other type of Hallmark ornament I collect (all thanks to my mom). Normally I don't get so many in one year, but Mom said it was too hard to choose which one to buy this year. They make too many cute ones.

I'm not complaining; this is one of the cuties I received. A Barbie shoe tree!

While I was at home, I practiced using the manual setting on my camera and got up-close and personal with some of the Barbies.

I know it'd look ridiculous on me, but I'd kind of like to try on her outfit.

Jackie O., is that you?

50th anniversary Barbie. My mom has an original like this. Very cool.

Polished and professional Barbie.

Trophy Wife Barbie? She seems a little uppity to me with one hand on her hip and the other clutching her gold necklace.

If a Barbie ornament were to be made in my likeness, I think it'd look a lot like this. Blue outfit, pencil skirt, camera in hand. She just needs to be a brunette.

See?

Big News

2010-12-09T22:29:00.003-06:00

My mother- and father-in-law got their mission call today, and they're going to..................................................................................................................................................

...........

RUSSIA!!!

We're surprised, but so excited for them!

What Shall We Give?

2010-12-07T18:28:00.002-06:00

One of my friends shared this on facebook, and I decided I wanted it on my blog.

"Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.

If we are to have the very best Christmas ever, we must reach out for the Carpenter's hand. With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth.

It was said of Jesus that He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Do we have the determination to do likewise?" -- President Thomas S. Monson

Dad's 80th Birthday Bash

2010-12-05T15:21:00.004-06:00

My dad's 80th birthday was last month, and we knew we wanted to do something big to celebrate. Mom and Dad planned the larger details like the venue, the menu, and the guest list, and Henry and I helped with some of the decorations. I love planning stuff like this, so I thought I'd share my most favorite things from the party.

1. The photo line

We collected photos from around my parents’ house and then went to Kinko’s to scan and print them in black & white. We ended up printing about 65 photos of my dad in various stages of his life—the oldest dating back to his 2^nd birthday in 1932. My mom already had some twine for us to use, and we just bought a pack of clothes pins to hang up the photos. It was pretty inexpensive to do, but it made a huge impact in the room’s décor. Plus I think all of the guests enjoyed looking at the photos. So many asked, “Is that really Clyde?”

2. Eighty sparkling candles!

Kind of a beast to get them lit all at once {that's my lil bigbro doing the job in the photo above}, but watching my dad and my 9-year-old niece as they blew them all out was priceless.

3. The memory book

This was Henry’s idea. We bought an 8’’ X 8’’ scrapbook album, a pack of jewel-toned scrapbook papers, and a couple of archival quality pens. We wanted all of the guests to pick a paper to write a message for my dad, but we also wanted to attach photos of them to the paper after the party {my next big project}. We had the guests trace where they wanted their picture placed on the paper. I typed up a step-by-step instruction guide, which we printed, framed, and sat on the “guest book” table. Unfortunately we only got one picture of the set up...and it just so happened to be in the background of another picture. Senior citizens like to be super punctual {read: 20+ minutes early} to parties, so things got a little rushed with the documentation of decorations.

I know, amazing quality, but you can see the papers, our photo template, instructions, the box, etc.

Here's a scanned copy of the instructions.

Approximately 80 of my dad's closest friends and relatives ended up coming to the party. I was so impressed by that. It was awesome. I think my dad loved every second of it. Arranging for all 80(!) guests to have their picture taken was a bit of a challenge because the room was packed, but I think we managed to get nearly everyone’s picture. I think it will be a really neat keepsake for my dad.

4. The prayer

Henry offered a prayer at the party in which he basically thanked the Lord for my dad's life and asked for continued blessings of health and strength. Henry said several people told him that that was the nicest prayer they'd ever heard, and I think that made him feel a little bashful, but it was a touching prayer.

5. Love of family and friends

That brings me to my fifth and final favorite thing. The party was a huge reunion of family and friends, and there was so much love there. There were people my dad knows from his career in real estate, church friends, barbers, plant coworkers {he worked in a plant for 40 years}, and the largest gathering of my family I've seen in a long, long time. Even more amazingly? There was no drama. It was such a happy weekend. I felt increased love for my dad, especially as I looked through those photos from his life. He is a good, honest man, and though he may be a bit grumpy at times, he is a wonderful example to me of loving, working hard, and serving others. (And heck, I’m sure I’ll be grumpy too when I’m 80.) So really, I guess my favorite thing about the party was that I came away realizing again how privileged I am to have him as my father. Love you, Daddy.

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-03T22:42:00.004-06:00

I told myself I'd do something fun and creative today, and here she is!

Pictured: table runner & berry tree {Target}, ghetto fab lime green glitter tree {courtesy of my mama}, our pantry door with wreath and some tin decorations we won at a White Elephant party last year, my little tin stocking and panda stocking hanger {courtesy of my mama}, poinsettia tree topper {I want to say Kohl's}, more berry trees and JOLLY sign {Target}, snowman {from my mama} and pillow {purchased tonight at Kohls for $15!}, santa {from my mama, I'm pretty sure, or Kohl's} and ceramic tree {courtesy of my granny, she made it}.

It took entirely too long to make this page, and I'm going to blame that on the new Photoshop.
1. I had to figure out how to "pop out" my pictures, so that I could drag the layers onto my template. Seriously, how long had it been since I'd last digiscrapped?
2. I think I killed it towards the end. It was just being SO pokey! So, so sloooow. Very frustrating. And to think I wanted to have this done before Henry came home from work. Yeah, right. What I'm trying to say is, I hope someone besides me will appreciate my little creation.

One of my faves...

2010-12-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

Oh snap, remember this? 70 days ago you wrote...

Yesterday it was "I love you;" today it was "let me scratch your arms up until you BLEED." Non-verbally communicated. Different student, same glamorous job. Ugh...so ready for the weekend.

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-11-16T21:48:00.000-06:00

So I don't bake much, and I blog about what I bake even less because most of the time, let's face it, the results aren't blog-worthy.

(You know where this is going.)

Last Friday, Henry and I made some seriously tasty cupcakes that the world needs to know about: Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. That's a delicious mouthful, no?

The recipe came from the site Ming Makes Cupcakes, which is now named "Cupcake HEAVEN" in my bookmarks list. You really have to follow that link to see what I'm talking about. Henry's already asking which one we're going to make next, and he's not even the cupcake fan in this household.

I was mostly impressed with the cake portion of this cupcake. Cream cheese frosting, though yummy, is not that exciting to me, but this vanilla almond cake was perfection. Worth every penny for that expensive almond meal.

So go, check out Ming's cupcakes, and let me know if you make any. It will be hard to choose which one to try next!

Infinite Hope

2010-11-09T21:30:00.001-06:00

I haven't had the greatest day. I have a cold or a bad case of allergies or something that has me feeling less than my best, and my emotions have run the gamut today. Earlier, like much earlier in my first few hours of this day, I thought about writing. It was a time before the emotions that accompany sick, tired, and hungry crept in, and I was thinking about hope. I read a talk on faith by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and it reminded me, I felt it, but then I forgot. Remember, tired and hungry crept in. Nothing good comes of tired and hungry for me.

Then tonight, as I was preparing for tomorrow (hopefully I'll return to work), I opened up my OhLife email. It read:

Oh snap, remember this? One month ago you wrote...

I had the best day today. I had the privilege of going to Time Out for Women in Plano with my mom and Denise last night and all day today. The messages were so inspiring. The theme was "infinite hope." I felt uplifted. It seemed like the underlying theme was that we each are doing well. We need to focus on our strengths to find happiness. Our Heavenly Father accepts our offerings even if they are not our "best." We are saved by grace after all WE (Jesus Christ + us) can do. That means the Savior does not make up the difference for us, but He makes ALL the difference. The last speaker talked about that. He gave a great analogy of a mother paying someone to teach her child piano and then in turn requiring her child to practice the piano. She doesn't ask the child to practice because it will pay the teacher or restore the money that was given to the teacher; she asks her to practice so that she will learn how to play the piano. He extended that to the Atonement. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to be transformed to become like them; the commandments they have given us are for us to become like them. It's not about repaying a debt because we can never measure up to that. It's about the change, so that when we return to our Heavenly Home, we will be comfortable there in the presence of God. That gave me such great comfort to think about those truths.

Of all the short little snippets I've written to OhLife, it was that one that showed up, the one that I needed tonight. It was the perfect reminder that even when the things I hope for are uncertain, the things that I hope in are not.

Tall Grass, Growing

By Miriam W. Wright

I see the tall grass swaying in the breeze,
The slender stems supporting nature’s store of life,
Not useless stalks nor tares but headed grass
Which stands so firmly rooted in the soil.

A day comes to my mind (now of the past)
We stood together. You had faith and stood so tall
And I was doubting. “Weeds,” I said, “Just weeds.
Or like this place,” I scruffed the earth, “Just dirt.”

“Our home” you answered. “There will be tall grass,
And we can build together. We can plant the seeds.
The Universe is His and He gives life,
And we can truly give a servant’s care.”

I looked at you, “To work, and work and fail.”
Your hand made motion up, “Then plan and work again.
See the warm sun” (Your tones so promising).
Then reaching down, I pulled a clump of weeds.

You smiled, “Already you have marked
A place to start. Right here can be our cornerstone.”
You placed a smooth-shaped rock, as if ‘homebase,’
To outline substance that was yet to be.
I looked into your eyes. “Perhaps, some day,”
But I could see no home …

And now, I stand and see—
No time from then ‘till now, but there was time
For storms, for drought, for strength-consuming hours.
The plans and efforts seemed so giant-high,
Yet now, so vapor thin that they are far out-shown
By window lights of home, and well-worn paths,
The firm clasp of your hand, your smile, your love.

The harvest-ready field,
I see it now.

You saw this field, the day you spoke those words:
“Tall grass-growing.”

Halloween Costumes 2010

2010-11-07T17:40:00.002-06:00

We actually had not one, but two Halloween costumes this year. We weren't being overzealous in our celebration of Halloween; it's just that our *real* costume only worked with three people, and we were missing our darling third wheel for the first costume-required party.

Costumes one and two were both really simple though.

Costume 1 was recycled: Price is Right contestants. This was my costume my freshman year of college (can't believe that was seven years ago!), so I already had the shirt. I just bought some new iron-on letters to cross out Bob and add Drew. I bought a sticky-backed foam sheet for our name tags, and done. Easy, and it cost about $4. Not bad at all.

Costume 2: rock, paper, scissors!

Also very easy and inexpensive. We did have the advantage of getting large pieces of cardboard and a grommet from FedEx (Henry's former employer---so excited to be able to say former by the way).

After that, we took it home to spray paint the handles red and to cover the blades with aluminum foil.

Henry went "3-hole punch Jim" style for his paper costume. We just cut out three circles from a sheet of black foam. Now might be a good time to mention that some people were confused about Henry's costume. The Office fans recognized him as 3-hole punch Jim, but others thought he might be a domino. Not paper. If we were to do this again, I think we'd add blue horizontal lines to his white shirt.

Deciding how to make April a rock was the toughest part. We thought about stuffing a black garbage bag or painting/chalking up a black shirt, but luckily Henry had the brilliant idea of wrapping her up in a scarf I already owned. She really didn't want to wear it at first, but somehow we got her to concede.

The cost of all three of our costumes was approximately $10. Sure beats the hundredsomething dollars we spent last year to be Mary Poppins and Bert!

You're looking at the "Most Original" costume winners, Rutherford Ln. Trunk-or-Treat 2010.

H, a, double l, o, w, double e, n...

2010-10-29T22:48:00.001-05:00

spells Halloween!

I am so excited for all of the Halloween festivities this year. Love my new wreath {seen below}, love the return of all things pumpkin and spice, and it's finally starting to feel like fall!

Last night we carved a few pumpkins with some friends. Haunted Tree was completed by Team Henry, Allison, and Tyler. Mummy Pumpkin was completed by Team Henry and Donna plus a little mascot. It was a fun night. I'm so thankful for all of the awesome friends we've made in our ward...even if a lot of them have moved/will be moving away soon.

Up next: trunk-or-treating. Can't wait to take my niece tomorrow night! She will be the cutest rock ever...

Possum Kingdom

2010-10-20T20:50:00.002-05:00

If you would've asked me what it was a few short months ago, I would've said a Toadies' song. But that's not all, my friends. It's also a lake and a state park. Actually, the lake provides the setting for the song, I'm pretty sure.

I saw a spread on it in one of my dad's issues of Texas Parks and Wildlife toward the end of summer, and I decided it'd be the perfect getaway for Labor Day weekend. Traveling all around Colorado this summer inspired me to visit more of my home state.

The park wasn't exactly what I was expecting. One of the main draws for me was seeing Hell's Gate, but once we got there we were told that we wouldn't be able to access it without a motorboat. I was pretty disappointed.

So we didn't see any of the really big cliffs, but we had fun anyway. We went canoeing and we swam a little bit too. There were bees everywhere, so Henry got to see me freak out when they'd fly ever so close to my face.

After several hours at the lake, we decided to head on to our hotel in a small town called Mineral Wells. We took a scenic route, and on the way we came across this really picturesque spot near a pretty bridge.

Remember that Time

2010-10-07T22:10:00.001-05:00

Henry,

Remember that time about five years ago when I tutored you in the UGL and afterward you asked me out on a double date? I remember how I spent hours picking out the perfect sweater to go with my favorite pair of jeans...and then I spent an hour doing my hair and makeup.

I still remember that outfit, but I have no idea what you were wearing.

Remember how you lent me your coat, and it was much too big for me? Not much has changed.

Remember when you asked if I'd be your "partner in crime," and I said no? I'm glad I changed my mind.

I love you. Forever.

allison

Mesa Verde National Park

2010-09-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Oh, Mesa Verde. It's located in the southwest corner of Colorado, and it's known for its 600 Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings (circa 1200 AD).

Before I go any further I should say that I am afraid of heights. I don't think Henry understood the severity of my fear prior to this vacation, but it became readily apparent as we went around/over/through high mountains at the Colorado National Monument, Independence Pass, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, etc., etc. Yes, I spent much of this trip feeling anxious about our altitude. (As an aside, I did get altitude sickness the first night we were there. I felt terrible. I thought that for sure I was going to have to waste a vacation day in a doctor's office, but thankfully after lots of fluids, tylenol, and some rest, I felt better.)

Anyway, fear of heights + Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings=scary. Once again, Mom and I must've been feeling brave, because I think we chose the scariest tour. No, actually, now I remember...it was the only tour that had available tickets within two hours of our arrival. It was more a matter of convenience than bravery. Coincidence that it was the "Adventurous Cliff Dwelling Tour" that was available? I think not.

This is what we had to conquer: a 32-foot wooden ladder on the side of a cliff. I told myself "don't look down, one step at a time, just keep breathing" over and over, but my legs were still literally shaking as I climbed up with my mom.

Things were okay once we actually made it into Balcony House. There were some tight spaces, but those don't bother me so much. We walked around the cliff dwelling for 15-20 minutes learning about the various rooms, and then it was time for the really scary part. It was way scarier than the 32-foot ladder. This is what the brochure referred to as the "60-ft open cliff face with stone steps," which was closely followed by "two 10-ft ladders to exit the site." Eek!

That was really tough. Between those crazy scary stairs and the two final ladders, I had to stop, and a man who was a perfect stranger had to give me a little pep talk to keep going. He reassured me that he'd catch me if I fell. I thought that was really nice, especially since I was in freak out mode, and my husband and mom ended up being several people behind me. With his help, I made it back to the parking lot.

So, am I glad I did it? I still don't know. It was definitely a memorable experience, but I can't say I enjoyed it by any stretch of the imagination. If we ever go back, I think I will sit it out with Dad in the car.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2010-09-07T20:40:00.005-05:00

The details: Located in Colorado Springs. One of two mountain zoos in the United States.

Prolific giraffe breeding program + feeding ops = one awesome African Rift Valley exhibit.

They had a lot of other cool animals too (black bear, moose, really cute lambs), but this was what really made the trip worth it for me. I LOVED feeding the giraffes. In the picture above, the giraffe licked my hand. Definitely an experience I've never had at any other zoo, and the giraffe is definitely my new favorite zoo animal.

On Loving thy Neighbor

2010-08-30T18:38:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about religious tolerance lately, mainly because of Park51--you know, what people call the "mosque at Ground Zero." I can see why some say it is insensitive to the people who lost their lives on 9/11, but I can't say that I think it should be built in a different location. Rights are rights to me. The decision to continue with the project should be left to the owners.

What worries me is the response to the debate. A week ago Sunday I read the August cover story of Time Magazine, and in it, Muslim-American writer and commentator Arsalan Iftikhar says,

"Islamophobia has become the accepted form of racism in America.You can always take a potshot at Muslims or Arabs and get away with it."

I've seen that primarily in online forums--appalling comments left in response to articles about Park51 (I'm sure you can find more than a few on that article I linked to above...consider yourself warned), twisted logic and hateful, ignorant comments about Muslims on facebook. It's easier to shrug off the bigoted comments made by perfect strangers, but when it's your fb friends or at least friends of friends, it's harder to ignore. It's those comments that have made me angry, made me think, made me cry, and that have prompted me to write this post.

Two of my closest friends in the world are Muslim. One of them was my roommate all four years of college. We met and became best friends at the beginning of our freshman year of high school, and we're still best friends. So when people attack her religion, in a way it feels like they are attacking me. Through her, I've been able to meet many other awesome people who are Muslim. I think our relationship works in part because of our religions: we don't drink/smoke/do drugs, we dress modestly, we fast, we pray, we keep the law of chastity, we believe in helping others, etc. etc. When I first met her, I actually thought she was LDS because she told me a story about fasting. Because of her, I am less afraid to share my religion with others. We respect each other, and we seek to understand each other. I wish there were more of that in America, don't you?

Me and two of my best friends, Girls' Weekend July 2010

Yesterday at church, one of the speakers quoted from a talk called the Doctrine of Inclusion, and she read part of this quote:

"'Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences. . . .
'. . . We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and civility' (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 661, 665).

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we understand that we are perceived by some to be "a peculiar people" (1 Pet. 2:9). Our doctrines and beliefs are important to us. We embrace them and cherish them. I am not suggesting for a moment that we shouldn't. On the contrary, our peculiarity and the uniqueness of the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are indispensable elements in offering the people of the world a clear choice. Neither am I suggesting that we should associate in any relationship that would place us or our families at spiritual risk. We must understand, however, that not everyone is going to accept our doctrine of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the most part, our neighbors not of our faith are good, honorable people—every bit as good and honorable as we strive to be. They care about their families, just like we do. They want to make the world a better place, just like we do. They are kind and loving and generous and faithful, just like we seek to be. Nearly 25 years ago, the First Presidency declared: 'Our message . . . is one of special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race, or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father' (First Presidency statement, 15 Feb. 1978).

That is our doctrine—a doctrine of inclusion. That is what we believe. That is what we have been taught. Of all people on this earth, we should be the most loving, the kindest, and the most tolerant because of that doctrine."

When I heard that, I thought, "yes, that's what it's about." I want to teach the world that Muslim is not a synonym for terrorist, to convince them that it is unjust to treat or speak of Muslim Americans as second-class citizens despite their rhetoric, but I know I can't. I can't change everyone's mind. I can, however, try to reach out to those in my own circle of influence, and I'm trying. It feels good to at least write this...like maybe I counterbalanced a smidge of negativity today. So go, be good, do good. =)

I'm a Mormon

2010-08-11T19:10:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the new videos on mormon.org?

I think they're great. They're professionally done, and I think they do a good job of breaking certain stereotypes. They show that members of the Church are individuals who come from all walks of life.

My favorite video (so far) is this one of Rochelle.

#1 She's a Texan.
#2 She has a schnauzer! I'm kind of obsessed. If you could see into my office right now, where I am currently typing, there is a miniature schnauzer calendar hanging on the wall in front of me. Owning one is high on my list of adult life goals.
#3 She talks about her kids with disabilities.
#4 I want her sunglasses.

My second favorite video is this one of Aaron and Emily.

#1 They seem like such fun people.
#2 They have amazing jobs.
#3 Their video just makes me happy.

So what would your video say?

P.S. Don't you think it'd be great if some of our favorite LDS bloggers (Design Mom, CJane, Rockstar Diaries) made videos? When I saw these I just imagined what theirs would be like--awesome.

Mama and me

2010-08-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

Jenna of That Wife wrote a post yesterday about photographing mothers and their babies, and at the end she encouraged her readers to share a favorite picture including mother and child. I liked the idea, so I thought I'd share mine.

This is me and my mama on a beach in Maui, and I just love everything about it. I think I was about three years old when this was taken. I love the way we're holding hands, I love the beach and ocean, and I love that we're standing together in one of our most favorite places in the world.

Hopefully someday I'll be able to share some of my own favorite places with my children, and rest assured that when I do, it will all be well photographed.

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Edition

2010-07-26T13:53:00.002-05:00

So first in what will hopefully become a series of Meatless Monday posts is my discussion of quinoa. After some Internet research and discovery of Forvo, the pronunciation dictionary, I learned that it is pronounced KEEN-wah.

I first heard about quinoa on a blog (I almost feel like that should be a given), and for whatever reason I wanted to try it. Again, I'm late to the party. Apparently, "it has been an important food for 6,000 years" in South America. At least someone on Wikipedia thinks so. It's a winner because it is high in protein (it's considered a "complete protein"), dietary fiber, phosphorus, lysine, methionine, cystine, magnesium, and iron. Did I mention that it is also gluten-free?

I picked up about 1 1/4 cup of quinoa in the Whole Foods dry goods section (not sure if that's what it's really called, but it was on the aisle with the self-serve grains/beans/dried soup mixes/etc.) for a couple bucks.

These are teensy tiny seeds you're dealing with here, so it was somewhat difficult to wash them per Whole Foods' instructions. I do not have a strainer with teensier tinier holes, so I attempted to rinse them in my 1/4 measuring cup. That turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, so I ended up just plopping them all down in my sauce pan. I only saw one black thing floating around in the water, and I was able to get it out. Conclusion: I think you can skip the washing step if you don't have a strainer with holes that are teensier tinier than quinoa.

Cooking the stuff couldn't have been more easy. You bring water to a boil, turn it down to medium heat, and let it bubble for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Draining the water, again, was hard. I did the best I could with my wooden spoon against the side of the pan. Next time I might try using my rice cooker or I might invest in a strainer with teensier tinier holes...but probably not. It turned okay the way I did it.

It had the fluffiness of rice, but with what people describe as a "nutty" flavor. I added a frozen vegetable mix to mine, and voila! Lunch was ready.

I will definitely be making some again because I have a lot of it left over, but I won't be adding this particular veggie mix...after one bite of cauliflower I remembered how much I detest it. But really, the possibilities are endless if you just think about using quinoa in place of rice. I'm thinking it'd be good with a yummy stir fry. Mmm.

Meatless Monday: Introduction

2010-07-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

About nine months ago or so, I decided that I would try something new regarding my diet. I'd just read a blog that talked about how one man's family was abstaining from meat on Thursdays. I really don't remember his reasoning, but I thought it was a good idea. Since I like alliteration though, I thought it'd be cool to do it on Mondays and call it "Meatless Monday." (Little did I know that I was definitely not the one to coin this phrase. According to meatlessmonday.com, "Meatless Monday was recreated as [a] public health awareness program in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future" in 2003.)

I have a few reasons for wanting to go meatless at least one day a week:

I believe that Section 89 of the Doctrine & Covenants, which we call the Word of Wisdom, was a revelation from God. Verse 12 states, "Yea, ^aflesh also of ^bbeasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used ^csparingly." I've had the goal of only eating red meat twice per month for several years now and stuck to it pretty well, but I wanted to do something more to observe this commandment.
I want to be healthier. I want to reduce my risk of preventable disease. "Eating more fruits and veggies" has literally been on my list of new year's resolutions for the last 10+ years, and I'm happy to report that I've made A LOT of progress in this area in the last three years or so. I'm not quite where I want to be, but Meatless Monday helps me to explore new things and to focus on this goal more.
It's a simple way to reduce my carbon footprint.

That quite lengthy introduction was all to say that I will be posting Meatless Monday ideas on the blog from time to time. Stay tuned. =)

Glenwood Caverns

2010-07-13T14:19:00.002-05:00

The first three days of our Colorado vacation were on the rainy and cold side, so once the sun came out, we knew we wanted to get right to some of the fun outdoor things we had planned.

One of the first places we visited was Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. It is located in Glenwood Springs, CO, which was about an hour's drive west of our timeshare.

In order to get to the park and go on the cave tours, you have to ride the tramway up Iron Mountain.

Here's Dad and Mom in our cable car.

My mom, Henry, and I knew we wanted to do the cave tours, but we weren't sure about any of the rides. (My dad has very bad knees, so he knew doing a 90-minute cave walking tour wouldn't be fun for him. He stayed under a tent and read a book instead.)

Once we got to the top, Henry and I saw the alpine coaster and wanted to do it. I'm glad we did. It was definitely pricey; it cost us $18 to ride it one time, but you only live (and possibly only visit Colorado) once, right? Now I can say I rode the first alpine coaster in the United States and had fun doing it.

Is this view beautiful or what?

You get to ride in individually-controlled cars on the alpine coaster, and Henry thoroughly enjoyed pushing us full-speed ahead.

The walking cave tour was good too. We got to see lots of impressive cave formations--cave bacon, soda straws, popcorn, and huge cave rooms with old stalagmites and stalactites. Pretty cool.

King's Row cave room

Just an aside: there was a cute Chinese family on our cave tour, so Henry surprised them by asking them in Mandarin if they wanted their picture taken. I like it when he gets to practice Mandarin.

Certified!

2010-07-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

I know some of you followed along as I wrote my Master's report and finished graduate school, but those who are newer to my blog might need a little background. I am a speech-language pathologist (SLP; man, it feels good to say that), and in order to become an SLP, you have to obtain a Masters degree. That's not all though. Once you have your Masters, you have to complete an internship of sorts. It's called a Clinical Fellowship (CF) in the world of speech-language pathology. It must be a minimum of 36 weeks, you have to work a minimum of 35 hours per week, and you have to obtain a minimum of 1,260 clinical hours to complete your CF. Once you've completed your CF, you can apply for full state licensure (rather than an intern license) and national certification (your "C's" in SLP speak).

I became painfully aware of those required 1,260 hours last week when I received a letter notifying me that my CF came to a grand total of 1,258 hours. I did, in fact, work way more than the minimum requirements; we just filled out a portion of the application forms incorrectly. After much fretting from me and my wonderful CF supervisor (I honestly couldn't have handpicked a better supervisor for this experience), we finally got it straightened out yesterday, and today I am certified!

And I am SO excited! I honestly didn't expect to be quite so happy about it, but when my case manager told me he approved me this morning, I jumped up and down. It's been a long time coming, made sweeter by the hiccups I've experienced along the way. I feel so thankful.

Whitewater Rafting in Frisco

2010-07-01T20:12:00.004-05:00

I've spent a good amount of time today trying to organize and group our vacation pictures, and I can't help but wonder WHY we took so many! It's a bit overwhelming now, but I'm sure once I start really looking through them and editing, I'll be glad we have them. I've already stumbled across a few that make my heart go pitter patter.

Since I haven't edited any of our own personal photos yet, I thought I'd make it easy on myself and write about our whitewater rafting trip. It happened to be one of my favorite things we did on this vacation, and we bought the action shots from the rafting company, meaning I don't have to edit anything just yet.

So let's begin, shall we?

Our friend Bill {one of Henry's former roommates, piano-playin' singles ward compadre who once rode his bike from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska!} drove over from Boulder to meet us in Frisco, CO for our little whitewater rafting expedition.

We chose the Blue River Half Day Trip for its moderate II-III class rating. We didn't want anything too scary for my mom or for me. It was definitely a good choice for our first ever whitewater rafting experience. Definitely not boring, but I wasn't scared either...except for beforehand when they were going over all of the safety measures and made it sound inevitable that someone would go a'swimming on our trip. Mom and I were about ready to back out then. But once we got in the water and started rowing, I thought it was awesome.

Here we are pre-safety talk. Bill said I looked prepared for any number of outdoor adventures.

Enjoying some beautiful scenery...

Now we're getting to the good stuff. You'll notice that in this picture our guide, Ben, is flying up in the air. That wasn't supposed to happen, but isn't it cool that they caught it on camera?

And here he is coming back down into the raft where seconds later he'll collide with my lower back. My mom thought I was falling out of the raft. It all happened so fast I had no idea what was going on. They tell you before the trip to tuck your feet into the sides of the raft, and after Ben fell on me, half of my leg was up in the raft. I felt reeeally safe then.

And here's our group back on land. No swimmers here.

This reminds me of my least favorite part of the experience: having to wear a smelly, already wet and therefore cold wetsuit and a pair of nasty, wet water shoes. It wasn't that uncomfortable, but it really grossed me out. So, if you ever go whitewater rafting, hit up Academy beforehand for some cheap water shoes...just in case. My mom was very happy she did.

After our very exciting whitewater rafting adventure we said goodbye to Bill and headed across the street to the weirdest A&W chain I've ever seen. Upon first glance it just seemed kitschy. After we had ordered I noticed the religious pamphlets on Messianic Judaism next to the cash register {one caught my eye because it mentioned UT Austin}. Then I noticed the Psalm 1 {if I remember correctly} wood carvings above the doorways, and the scripture out on the marquee. The playing of the national anthem while we were dining was really just the icing on the cake. I placed my hand over my heart and had to laugh as I saw an older gentleman doing the same across the room.

I'm not the only one who delighted in discovering this gem; you can read the articles Fast-Food Salvation and Thank God for Root Beer Floats {like that a lot}. On the more serious side, you can also read about how the Bible references were taken down for a little while.

So, the moral of this story is...if ever you should find yourself in Frisco, CO, you might want to check out a Performance Tours rafting trip, and you definitely want to check out the divine A&W. Because God so loved the world, He gave us Jesus, ice cream, fish, and curds. Yes. Yes, He did.

Vacation all I ever wanted

2010-06-30T19:01:00.003-05:00

Do people like to read about vacations or is that just me?

{source}

Henry and I just spent the last two weeks traveling 2500 miles around Colorado with my parents, and we have 1500+ pictures to show for it. Since I don't want to make any promises I might not keep, I'll say that I would like to share some of our adventures with you...and we'll see how many posts I get around to actually doing. =)

Another Genealogy Story

2010-04-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

While I'm at it, why not? Here's another story one of my many distant cousins emailed my mom about two years ago.

My mom told our cousin that I was working on my maternal grandfather's family line, and I had just discovered my grandfather's parents' families came to the United States about 10 years apart from each other and settled in the same town. I was hoping to find out if they knew each other before they immigrated, but my cousin didn't know the answer to that. Instead she told this fun little story:

"I do know one story that I heard from Lewis Schreiber, (from Mart). The Marquarts did come before the Schreibers, don't know exactly when, but think the Schreibers came in 1884. The Marquarts lived in Post Oak, north of LaGrange and Grandpa Marquart built the little Methodist church there and they worshipped in German. The Schreibers left Germany because the boys were being drafted into the Prussian army and they didn't like that. One son had already served, don't know if he came to US or stayed there. GGpa Schreiber was an alcoholic, I hear. There must have been some sort of a connection between the Marquarts and Schreibers beceuse they settled in Post Oak also. Or could have been a coincidence. Two of the Schreiber boys, George and John slipped off and listened to the Methodist people under a window because they could understand the German. The church people noticed them and asked them in and ended up converting them. Thats how the Schreibers came to be Methodists. George and John both wanted to be preachers, but since John married first George became a preacher and John was a lay-minister. George preached many years and is pictured in the Methodist conference headquarters in Fort Worth as one of the many German preachers in the Methodist. When your Dad visited us after your Mom Died, we took him out to a little town of Bracken, north of San Antonio where George preached for quite a while. I thought this was an interesting story. Hope the kids enjoy hearing about it. Love, Sue"

I thought that was a cool story. I also think it's funny that my mom's parents moved from the Methodist church to the Baptist church in their later years because they "liked the choir better." At least that's what my mom says.

Genealogy, I am doing it

2010-04-28T20:59:00.007-05:00

I am going to preface this post by saying that this may not be interesting to anyone other than me and members of my family...though I don't think any members of my family read this.

A few weeks ago when my parents came to visit, my mom brought along an old box she found of old family pictures, wedding and graduation announcements, and some letters my maternal great-grandfather had written to my grandmother. I scanned them and did my best to transcribe them {great-grandpa didn't have the most legible handwriting}, and now, for some reason, I feel like I should post them here.

Kerens Texas 1-1-1943
Miss Naomi Tyler
Dear Baby I got your letter containing three dollars of course was small of it not much for its value but because it was from you. Some one I love I think loves me. Have been sick with cold for ten days or more. Have a awful cough but am improving. Think will be all ok in a few more days. Had a right smart snow last Sunday night but melted away next day. Been trying to rain ever since. Give Johnie and Wasnetta my love and best wishes. I am hoping and praying that this will be a happy and prosperous year for us all and believe that will all our people are well doing family well. Ruby [his daughter] was sick last week but is by now. Dovie [his daughter-in-law] still works at the store. Poor old Lonnie [his son] is still a toogan(?) & has cooking cleaning house, & etc. May God’s silent blessings be graces for the family is the prayer of your Old Dad, N.S. Crawford
(over)
Come home when you can.

Waco Texas 2-1-1943
Miss Naomi Tyler
Dear baby, Have been examined. Will have my prostates removed tomorrow or next day. I am at the Hillcrest Memorial Sanatarium feeling ok. The operation will be simple and not serious so don’t worry about me. Will keep you advised for time to time about my condition. Be sweet and don’t worry.
Your loving Dad, N.S. Crawford

P.S. You can tell the others there.

Waco Texas 2-5-1943
Dear baby, just a few lines. I am doing fine. Think the Dr is going to let me sit up tomorrow. I feel like will go home by the middle of next week. One that loves you dearly, your old Dad.
Wrote this in bed.

I never met my great-grandfather {in fact, my mother didn't either. he died about six months before she was born}, so I am grateful for these letters. They give me a little insight into the kind of person my great-grandfather was. You can tell that he truly loved my grandmother, and it seems that he had faith in God.

The letters were also revealing in another way: he addressed Granny as Miss Naomi Tyler. My mom said she never knew her last name was Tyler once upon a time, meaning she must've had a third marriage she never told my mom about. Scandalous!

Hungry Girl: Twice-as-Nice Guapo Taco

2010-04-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

We also made these Taco Bell knockoffs from Hungry Girl on Easter weekend.

I'd give it a B+. We basically followed the recipe this time, except we didn't get low carb tortillas or fat free refried beans (is there really such a thing? couldn't find any at our local HEB). I added a dollop of Greek yogurt on top as a substitute for sour cream. That was a good move.

In the process of making this recipe, I found out that my husband does NOT like soy crumbles. I have to admit that I didn't care for the way the crumbles tasted either. It was like they were overly seasoned. Next time I'd probably just use ground turkey or use less of the taco seasoning packet.

Hungry Girl: Upside-Down Chocolate PB Cheesecake

2010-04-18T21:00:00.003-05:00

For most of my life I've joked about being somewhat domestically disabled. I didn't learn how to prepare a meal (beyond boxed spaghetti) or do my own laundry until I went to college. Growing up, my mom always worked full time, and she'd usually prepare our one home-cooked meal of the week on Sunday while my dad and I were at church. It worked for our family, but I wish I had taken more opportunities to assist her with preparing family meals.

I feel like now I want to make an effort to learn how to cook for my family, and as part of that, one of my goals for the year is to get in the kitchen more to try to make new things. In the last few weeks I've tried some new recipes! I'll try to post some of the ones I liked on here. Have you heard of Hungry Girl? I recently saw a TV segment with the author and decided to check out her site. It seems to me that her mission is to find ways to make foods that she enjoys eating a little healthier yet still tasty.

For our Easter dinner I made Hungry Girl's Upside-Down Chocolate PB Cheesecake. It was an incredibly easy recipe, no bake, and Henry and I really liked it. I took it to work and made another batch for my book club meeting too, and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. I definitely recommend it if you are a fan of chocolate and peanut butter. It had more of a pudding-like consistency than cheesecake, but that didn't matter so much since it tasted good!

Upside-Down Chocolate PB Cheesecake from Hungry Girl

PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, about 1/2 cup): 143 calories, 3.5g fat, 320mg sodium, 19.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 6g sugars, 6.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3* Super-rich, peanut-buttery, chocolate cheesecake filling topped with a layer of chocolate crunch!?! Yup... *Ingredients:* 1 packet Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets 25-calorie diet hot cocoa mix I couldn't find this at the grocery store, so I just used the regular hot cocoa mix I already had at home One 8-oz. tub fat-free cream cheese, room temperature 2 Jell-O Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Snacks 1/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) used regular sugar* 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups Cool Whip Free, thawed, divided 3 tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature used regular peanut butter Two 100 Calorie Packs Oreo Thin Crisps or 3 sheets (12 crackers) chocolate graham crackers Optional: Fat Free Reddi-wip *Directions:* Dissolve cocoa mix in 2 tbsp. hot water. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa mixture with cream cheese, pudding, Splenda, and vanilla extract. Using a handheld electric mixer, whisk until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup Cool Whip. Transfer mixture to a large pie pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip with peanut butter. Whisk until smooth and uniform in color. Spread over the "pie." Cover and refrigerate until chilled and slightly firm, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, crush Oreo Thin Crisps or chocolate graham crackers into fine crumbs, and set aside. Once ready to serve, top pie with crushed cookies/graham crackers. If you like, top each serving with a squirt of Reddi-wip. Enjoy with a spoon! MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Last Night's Dream

2010-04-02T14:49:00.003-05:00

We went on a vacation with my family to the Hawaiian islands...or maybe it was somewhere in Mexico. I didn't get to see much of the scenery because every time I would venture outside, I'd be attacked by wild goats.

Naturally I had to karate chop them to protect myself, but they kept biting and biting. It was very traumatizing. I think they were trying to kill me. Henry came to ward them off, and then we ventured into an old city. All of the townsmen were looking at us funny, and I was starting to wonder what was up. It was at this point that I found out my husband was training to be the next Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter?" I said, like the lady from the movie.

And then, like magic, the lady from the movie appeared and whisked Henry into a dark alley. Harry Potter training is intense so I didn't see Henry for the rest of the vacation.

When I woke up, Letterman was talking to Alias.

(Just kidding about that last part. That's a line from The Simpsons.)

Paying it Forward

2010-03-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. And a request. What seems like a long, long time ago, I jumped aboard this thing called "Pay it Forward." Now let me assure you, at the time I had every intention of making something cool for Whitney when she commented on that post, but then {insert excuses}, and I'm sure the year in which I was supposed to complete the project came and went.

Luckily, she has given me a second opportunity to help her out. You see, she's a grad student {I remember that all too painfully well} and she is collecting data for her thesis. And guess what her thesis is on....blogging!

If there's anything I like more than blogging it might be talking about blogging.

If you would like to help her, you can visit here. And please do it. Send in your questionnaires. Remember, I'm trying to redeem myself. I know I'm no cjane, but 12 more responses is 12 more, right? {Even if I am one of them.}

October, what??

2010-03-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

So I'm trying to get caught up on my digital scrapbooking 12 of 12 pages, but it is slow going. I want to keep doing it because I love looking back through my pages and seeing little snippets of our young, married life, but at the same time, I don't have the desire most days to sit down and actually devote time to it.

And that is why I am writing a post about October in March. One disadvantage to making the page so far after the actual day is that the details are foggy. For example, why was I blowing my nose? Was I still getting over my September megacold or was it just allergies? Don't know. Oh well, better late than never I guess.

Materials:
-Template: Two Peas Rounded Corners Template No. 9
-Papers: Shabby Princess Sun Porch
-Monday Word Art: Two Peas Martha kit
-Fonts: Jailbird Jenna (date) and HP PSG (captions)

The Results

2010-03-14T21:24:00.002-05:00

Sadly, we've had our new canvas for three weeks now, and I'm just getting around to posting the pictures. Life has been as busy as usual, plus I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time reading scriptures and other good books.

But without further ado, I present to you the picture we chose to print on canvas:

The waterfall picture!

We ultimately chose it because the focus of that photograph isn't just on us; it also had the pretty nature scene too. As cute as the other options may be, Henry didn't feel comfortable hanging a photo that would make us look larger than life, and I can understand where he's coming from. It is a 24 x 40 inch canvas...that would make us look like we have big heads...literally and maybe figuratively too.

Anyway, I LOVE it. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to convince Henry to make small canvas prints of the other photos someday soon. =)

Printed Canvas

2010-02-13T09:09:00.000-06:00

Almost a year ago, Kristen Duke photographed us. Practically ever since, I've been telling Henry I want to have one of the photos printed on canvas to display in our home. Kelly of Kelly's Korner recently had a photo of her darling daughter printed on canvas (for cheap), and that spurred me to get a move on it. So, I need your help. If you were me, which one would you have printed? I'm thinking this would probably go in our living room over our TV. That wall is looking too bare to me right now.

Here are the options. I'd make a poll, but I seriously don't expect that many people to respond. Keep in mind that 1) it has to look good with the colors already in our living room, and 2) it's going to be a large print to fill the space above the TV.

Normally our coffee table would be parallel to the couch, but I was doing Wii Fit yesterday. =) Also, the plants are only inside when it's really cold out.

Option 1: Waterfall

Option 2: Hook 'Em sepia or color

Option 3: Cuddly bw or color

Thanks for your help!

What You're Doing Matters

2010-01-28T20:43:00.000-06:00

I liked this. =)

September...Finally

2010-01-09T17:16:00.001-06:00

So, my longhorns didn't win the championship. It was very, very disappointing. I may have shed a tear. But it was not as bad as it could have been, considering, and I'm glad it wasn't a blowout. And in the end, it was just a football game, and I'm still proud to be a longhorn.

Anywho, now to the matter at hand. I'm trying to catch up on my scrapbooking pages. I've got a few 12 of 12's left to do for 2009, and I want to finish them before half of 2010 passes me by. This afternoon I sat down and knocked out September's. I also caught up on The Hills and some of The City in the process. Those shows are so ridiculous, and I like it.

For this page, I used a template from a 2008 Designer Digitals freebie. The yellow paper is also from Designer Digitals. Couldn't tell ya for the other two papers though. The fonts are Futura Md and Futura Lt.

Texas Fight

2010-01-07T19:07:00.002-06:00

{espn}

We've got on our Texas shirts,

chili's cooking on the stove,

orange and white cupcakes are waiting for dessert,

horns will be up shortly.

\m/

This is about a million times more important and more intense than the Super Bowl.

I'm hoping, oh how I'm hoping, for a repeat of 2005's championship. I don't know if my little heart can handle defeat.

Texas Fight! Texas Fight! Yea Texas Fight!

Sayonara 2009: July through December

2009-12-31T20:00:00.003-06:00

July

In July we discovered Mayfield Park in Austin. It's an old homestead that was donated to the city, and peacocks are allowed to freely roam the grounds.

Henry and I celebrated our second anniversary on July 7th by going to lunch at Fogo de Chao. We still love being married!

We also went on another popular Austin adventure: a bat cruise! During the summer months a colony of 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats take up residence under the Congress Bridge. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America. At dusk you can see them fly out to look for food. When Henry and I were dating we canoed down the river to see the bats. That was one of my favorite dates. This was a similar thing except we were on a bigger riverboat with a bunch of tourists and we had a tour guide.

I turned 24 in July too.

August

We moved out of our first newlywed apartment at the first of August. It was bittersweet. We really liked living there, but our new place is much closer to my new job, and the rent is $125 cheaper!

In August we also said farewell to some grad school friends who moved out of state for work.

My best friend Alifia came to visit from Kuwait.

I started my first grown-up job! This is me at the end of the first day of school, August 24th.

September

When you have a grown-up job you get real paid!

Sumi came to Austin for a Geology reunion. We got to do some shopping together, got our makeup done at Sephora, and ate at Madam Mam's. Yay for girl time!

Henry and I visited Amanda and Joseph in San Antonio. We had some of the worst Mexican food ever on The Riverwalk. Hopefully we'll choose more wisely next time. =)

October

My parents, nephew, and great-nephew came to visit us in October. We went to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. I recall it being a pretty chilly day for fall in Texas, but we did see some pretty flowers.

Over the summer I was diagnosed with psoriasis. It wasn't a big deal then (just dry patches on my forehead), but in October it spread to my eyelids and elbows. I spared you the pictures of my actual skin since Henry said it looked gross. Instead I am sharing a photo of the creams I acquired with my most recent visit to the dermatologist.

Henry and I won our ward Halloween costume contest by dressing as Mary Poppins and Bert. Putting the costumes together was one of the most fun projects for me this year. I'm amazed that we were able to find 90% of our costumes at Goodwill.

November

My brother-in-law David moved to China in December for a post-doc position. Yes, you read that correctly, China. I think Henry is still in shock that he actually moved there. We had a farewell dinner for him in Austin. Hopefully we'll be able to visit him sometime in the next three years.

I went to the Regina Spektor concert with my old friend Larissa and my new friend Meghan. I loved it. I think it was the best concert I've ever been to.

For the second year in a row we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our apartment. Unlike last year, however, my parents and sister Randy came (in addition to Henry's parents, Lara, William, April and Helen and her boyfriend Tripp). I really enjoyed cooking with my mom and Henry.

December

As is tradition, we visited the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park and spun under the big light tree. Guaranteed to make you dizzy!

This year we went with three other young married couples from our ward. We've been very blessed to meet so many cool people this year, and many of them have been in our new ward.

I tried my hand at paintball and got shot in the left arm three times! It doesn't feel good, I'll tell you that, but I did have fun.

We celebrated Christmas at my parents' house in Houston. I was very excited to get a dSLR!

Henry and I are very thankful to have had such a great year. We look forward to seeing what 2010 brings!

Sayonara 2009: January through June

2009-12-29T15:20:00.002-06:00

January

Henry and I began the year with a little getaway to Fredericksberg, Texas. We enjoyed walking around the town, and our B&B cottage was perfectly cozy. It was a good way to celebrate the first year and a half of our marriage.

Our niece April was born a week later on January 12th, and we've been smitten by her ever since. It's hard to believe she's almost a year old!

In January we also started babysitting our cousin Ethan on Thursday evenings while his mom was at school. We learned to play many games Ethan-style (Battleship, Uno, Connect Four, and various others), and I think we got him hooked on eating mini-pizzas. His endless questions and cute country accent made us laugh.

February

One of the field trips we took Ethan on was a trip to the Texas Capitol. I think he enjoyed dragging me through the halls.

Henry and I celebrated our fourth Valentine's Day together.

Kristen Duke graciously offered to take our first family photos. That was probably one of the best things we did this year.

March

With March comes Spring Break. Unfortunately, Henry and I had different Spring Break weeks, so we didn't go anywhere together, but I was able to make a trip to Houston to visit my parents. Mom and I went to Time Out for Women, a religious, inspirational weekend retreat, which was awesome.

Henry and I did get to go somewhere together; we went one weekend to the sunken Japanese gardens in San Antonio.

We also took advantage of a free South by Southwest concert for the first time: Explosions in the Sky.

April

We went on our biggest roadtrip of the year in April. Henry's brother Ralph married Whitney in the Oklahoma City Temple, so we traveled to Tulsa and OKC for their Easter weekend wedding.

I was excited to get another sister-in-law in this family of mostly boys!

My best friend in high school, Courtney, also got married in April. My mom and I were able to go to the wedding in Houston.

May

May was a huge month for us because we both graduated!!! There were definitely moments when I wondered if it would happen for me, and it certainly wouldn't have if I had not finished my Master's report. This next picture is of me just moments before turning it in to the Graduate School. I was too tired to jump up and down or anything, but it was a big relief to close that chapter of my graduate career. I felt a lot of personal satisfaction. I'm glad Henry was able to be there for the big moment.

Here is Henry looking handsome in his graduation regalia. He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering. I'm so proud of him.

My best friend Cristy also graduated from medical school in May! I'm glad I got to visit with her in Dallas/Fort Worth before she moved to West Virginia.

And here's a picture from my graduation! I earned an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology, and I am SO GLAD TO BE DONE WITH SCHOOL! FOREVER!!! In case you couldn't tell, I don't miss school at all, but I do miss my grad school family. I love these people.

We celebrated our graduations at the Austin Children's Museum, which is the perfect place to have a fun party. The giant indoor slide was a hit.

June

In June we went back to Houston for a few more weddings.

My cousin Stephanie got married to a Mormon boy from Idaho! She had a picture perfect wedding complete with a horse and buggy rivaling Disney (she is kind of obsessed with all things Disney).

My good friend Amanda got married in July.

I got to read the passage in 1st Corinthians on charity during the ceremony. Thanks for asking me, Amanda!

Amanda's wedding was a good excuse to hang out with high school friends since her husband Joseph also went to high school with us.

Check back Thursday for the second installment!

Free Date Night

2009-12-27T22:27:00.003-06:00

I made this "one free date night" coupon for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for Christmas. It was fun to make, and hopefully it will be fun for them to use!

P.S. I got a new camera, my first dSLR, can you tell??? I am SOOOO excited about it!

Funny

2009-12-08T16:24:00.001-06:00

Two posts in two days? What?! I wouldn't get used to it. =)

My friend Stephanie posted this on facebook, and I thought it was funny.

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

God Bless Texas

2009-12-07T18:13:00.012-06:00

"You might give some serious thought to thanking your lucky stars you're in Texas."

So I entered the Smartypants-Texas contest on Pioneer Woman. To be a contestant you had to answer twelve questions about Texas. I got all excited on Saturday morning because I actually thought I had a shot at being the first or second person to correctly respond. Um, no. I was commenter number 201 even though I commented within twenty minutes of the first respondent.

Oh well. It was fun to do, and it made me remember how much I love the great state of Texas.

It just so happens, we visited the Texas State History Museum this weekend too.

Here are a few things I love about Texas:
-It's bigger than France.
-Diversity: We've got a little something for everyone.
-The weather (most of the time).
-The football
-Whataburger
-Bluebell ice cream
-HEB
-Bluebonnets in spring
-Texas pride
-The slogan "Don't Mess with Texas"
-It's home.

Digital Scrapbooking: How to Get Started

2009-11-24T18:08:00.009-06:00

On my last post, Thais asked how I learned how to digital scrapbook. I thought I would answer her questions in a new post in case someone else is curious.

What software do you use to scrapbook with?

When I first started, I used Adobe Illustrator. Now I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 (PS). It seems like most people use either Adobe PS or Photoshop Elements (PSE), which give you a lot of flexibility with your layouts, but of course you don't have to use those. According to the Designer Digitals website, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Digital Image Suite, ACDSee Systems Photo Editor, and LumaPix FotoFusion Scrapbook Essentials are other common photo-editing programs.

And how the heck did you learn it? Books? Tips? Anything. I REALLY want to get into it.

I learned mostly by trial and error. I used a few online tutorials, which I will get to in a second, but for me, the biggest thing was finding out where to get free materials. A friend pointed me toward Two Peas in a Bucket, and I found other freebie sites on my own (see my "Goodies" sidebar).

Once I had materials, I just started layering things on top of each other in Illustrator. There are tutorials out there that will walk you through each step of making a digital page, like this first digital layout tutorial from Designer Digitals.

One of the most important things I did learn through a website was how to use a template. I think it's safe to say that 99% of the layouts I've made in the past year were created using templates. They are just so easy to use...once you know how!

This seems like a pretty good tutorial on how to use a PSD template. If you don't have PS or PSE, you'll need to use a software that can work with layers to use a template.

Here's an example of a page I made using a template I downloaded for free.

I made the lemon meringue pie page using the Circled Template 2 from Fei Fei's Stuff. Easy as pie, and the results are so pretty (in my humble opinion).

So, the main thing is purchasing a photo-editing software (or you can try trials of PS and PSE) if you don't have one already, and then, once you learn a few things you'll be right on your way!

July and August

2009-11-19T21:37:00.010-06:00

Yay for new layouts! This July page is special because in completing it, I completed a whole year's worth of 12 of 12 layouts. July 2008-July 2009...and beyond.

Do you remember my very first page? I've come a long way. It's been fun. I doubt I'll ever go back to paper scrapbooking now.

Since you can't really read the journaling on the August page, this is what it says:

"This was a fun day. Post-advanced diagnostics and pre-job. I got to sleep in, but then I got a
message from my UT supervisor saying I needed to come in to the clinic one last time to destroy a soft file.
Surprise, surprise--I couldn’t find the file anywhere in the clinic. It turned out that Melissa shredded it the night before. I snapped one last picture of my car sitting in front of Littlefield, my freshman dorm; my college days are officially over. It was also a special day because Alifia was in Austin. We went to Tx Land and Cattle and snagged a free lunch for “being cute,” and later we went to the mall with Sarah. That evening, Henry and I went to Hula Hut for Amy A.’s going away party. A raccoon ran around on the deck! So fun to see the SLP girls."

2009-10-17T09:42:00.004-05:00

Hello friends. I've been bad at updating this blog. What can I say? In August, grad school business was replaced with starting-my-first-real-job business. Remember how I naively thought I'd have all the time in the world after I finished school? So far it hasn't happened. Maybe it never will. That might be okay with me...haven't quite decided.

And that post about my graduation party? Sorry. I should know by now not to ever promise to post about something, because it's like a curse. Once you say you're going to write about it, you never want to. So, no more promises.

Instead, I'll just post what I feel like.

Today, I feel like telling you I'm excited about today.

I am excited about today.

Possible reasons:
-It's nice and cool outside. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.
-This view out my living room window:

I love seeing sunshine bathe my planties.
-The Red River Rivalry {Texas vs. OU, our biggest rivals}. I've got my burnt orange on, you better believe! Hook 'em horns!!! \m/
-Time to leisurely catch up on work. I don't know why this excites me, but it does. Maybe because Monday is a student holiday. I so need one of those. According to my boss, about 70% of our jobs as SLPs is paperwork. I don't know about that, but it does certainly pile up.
-I get to get all dolled up tonight for a wedding reception. I really want to get all dolled up. Nevermind my bright red, swollen eyelid {Thursday was the last day of my steroid treatment for my eyelids...and apparently the eyelids weren't ready to let it go...}.
-Antibiotics!
-I get to see my adorable niece at the wedding reception!
-I have time today to do whatever the heck I want to do! Clean the apartment, read a book, edit photos, digital scrapbook! Exciting!

I hope you all have a nice, relaxing weekend. =)

Officially in Love with Photobooths

2009-08-20T20:20:00.008-05:00

Everyone should have one at their wedding reception, and I'm thinking about installing one in my future dream house. It would be endless fun.

April, May, and June

2009-07-10T21:59:00.006-05:00

So, I'm a little behind on posting. This is from Easter, April 12th. Seems like forever ago, doesn't it?

May wasn't so long ago.

And June was just here yesterday.

Let me explain

2009-06-23T21:59:00.006-05:00

I guess when I said I'd post about my party "after all is said and done" what I meant was that I'd write when school is really over for me.

It's not yet.

I legitimately graduated because I fulfilled all of the academic requirements for my degree, but I'm stuck in one more session of summer school to complete the clinical requirements. (Don't worry, this was planned; didn't find out the day before graduation or anything.)

Anyway, this last little bit of clinic is like a full-time job with never-ending homework. So, see you in two-ish weeks. I plan to scrapbook my heart out. =)

It's here

2009-05-21T21:11:00.006-05:00

I turned in the final version of my report on May 7th. Two weeks ago? Oh my, how time flies. All in all it was 61 pages long. To be honest, compared to previous grad school experiences it was a cake walk. I thought it would require lots of blood, sweat, and tears; I envisioned my second reader demanding large changes and me chasing my "committee" around trying to get last minute signatures, but in the end it wasn't so bad. Sure, I put in a ton of effort, but there wasn't a lot of stress surrounding the whole thing. So, so very surprising.

And now I graduate in TWO DAYS! I'm having my big shindig tomorrow night. Couldn't be more excited. I just hope my guests have fun. I'm excited to reunite with some of my best friends who are coming into town.

Right now I'm trying to throw together a party playlist...but I'm realizing I don't have very cool party music. And, confession: I have no idea how to use my Mom's Ipod. And I'm pretty sure she doesn't have any idea either. hahaha.

I think we need my brother's expertise.

Anywho, I've been working hard to plan this party these past few weeks, so I will post some pictures after all is said and done for you to see. This party was my inspiration. Lurv it.

{inchmark}

I did it

2009-04-17T19:46:00.008-05:00

The first draft of my Master's report is complete. In my professor's e-mailbox. It's a beastly old thing at 32 pages long. (Fourteen of those pages were written in the last 48 hours. blech!)

I would like to thank a few special someones without whom this little miracle would not have been possible:

The inventors of the word processor, SALT, Noodlebib, EBSCOhost databases, GoogleScholar, and the Adobe Acrobat "Select" tool.

The people at Michigan State who wrote a 280-page book on all the differences between Mandarin and English, and also the people who scanned it and turned it into a PDF. Bless your souls!

My parents for making me take several typing/computer classes so that I can type really, really fast when necessary.

My husband for always being supportive of me and making sure I have food to eat and clean clothes to wear.

Focus!

2009-04-16T10:28:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we went on a roadtrip up to Tulsa for my brother-in-law's wedding. It was really a lovely trip filled with lots of family, but the night we arrived back home I started feeling sick. And Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was sick. Today I feel a little better, but guess what, I still feel sick.

Here's the deal:
-I haven't left my house for more than 15 minutes in four days. I'm going a little stir crazy.
-I've been in school for what feels like a bajillion years and I'm tired of it. (Henry pointed out that in reality it's been about 20. Made me feel old.)
-And we all know that when you're feeling under the weather, you especially do not feel liking working.

But the facts are these: the first draft of my Master's report is due tomorrow. I've got a lot of work left to do on it, so I MUST work on it today. That is my task for the day, so that's what I need to do.

Good pep talk. Now let's get to work!