New Year, Here I Come

Happy New Year, everyone. We are still on vacation...it has been really good so far, but the fun has just begun. We are hanging out with my parents tonight, spending time with extended family tomorrow, then onto Purdue, Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, then back to Austin. It's been really great seeing old friends. It has just filled up my yearning for more than a surface friendship. Thanks to everyone who made the time in Anderson to get together with us. I especially had a great time with JMK, Heph, Hu, Mee, and Meg. I love you all so much!

Merry Christmas!

Be awaiting our annual Christmas letter!

Monday

The weekend was a blur. I worked my little tail off doing as much cooking and entertaining as possible. It was fun, but my feet always appreciate bedtime. I'm very thankful for my job, my boss, and my love for this creative industry in which I've spent many hours the last 12 months.

This Thursday night I leave for Dallas because I'll be flying out to Chicago from there for my sister's wedding! (Well, she's not really my sister, but "in God's way" she is!) I picked up my dress from being altered and I'm ready to go. I'll be renting a car and driving 1 1/2 hours to the city in Michigan where Jess Davey will be married off to Chris Kreeger.

After class today, I joined several of my friends to celebrate the end of culinary school. We happily toasted in humor of all the stories, instuctors, and inside jokes that must be remembered.

Our Thanksgiving

A Shout Out to my Home Girl

Thanks, JRF, for your encouragement today and for initiating time with me. I am blessed to call you my friend. I hope for many more times together sharing coffee, conversation, stories, tears, laughter, etc. It's good to have you right now during this lonely season in my life. I cling to His promise once again that He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is my Friend, the Lover of my soul, and my Father. I will trust in Him. Thank you for taking time today to pry me open, listen, and encourage me. I will invest in you. I love you.

Back Home

What a weekend. It's good to be back in our home, just the two of us. It's not so fun coming back to a messy house with lots to do. I escaped the pit and bought groceries this evening. That's one of my favorite things to do--an area to spend money where I don't feel guilty! Chris finished the tiling on the bathroom floor. He's really doing a great job with all this remodeling. I can't say I've helped much at all since he works on it when I'm at my job. We're off to church.

A Day of Thanks

I just had a nice latté and my belly is warm inside. We woke up this morning and ate the famous cinnamon rolls for breakfast with the in-laws, Josh, and Laura. After playing cards for awhile, we are each doing our own thing to relax. Last year we were with my family for Thanksgiving and it's always so much fun because we get together with the entire extended family on the maternal side; 20-something people. This year I'm with the Bonsers and it's fun, too, just different.

Last night I had a dream that my twin brother was loving to me. When I think about it now, I really know it was a dream because I don't remember the last time he showed me love. That's been a personal frustration in my life for the past year...and a constant prayer of my heart. I can't express enough how hurtful, lonely, and painful this journey has been for me. My only hope is to grasp tightly to the One that I know will never leave me or forsake me. That's the thing that keeps me going each day.

It's been awhile since I've sat down to think about all the ways my God has provided, restored, and loved me. I confess that I have been consumed all too much with my measly life. It has been such a lonely year for me. I have gotten way too caught up in it lately and have not praised Him nearly enough in this chapter of my life. The deepest, truest desire of who I am is simply this...that at the end of the day, my God is glorifed.

A Chinese Thankgiving

Last night we had over 8 Chinese friends who work with Chris at AMD. They are in the states for a year and some of them have only been here a couple of months so far. They had never been inside an American home before, so we thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to invite them over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We had a lot of fun and they were such sweet people. I was overwhelmed at how many gifts we received from them just for inviting them over. They gave Chris a handmade, silk neck tie, and we also received flowers, wine, chocolates, a fruit basket, a handmade, silk sash, and chopsticks. I envy that kind of giving spirit from their culture and wish more white people were like that. We were really blessed to have their company last night.

Bathroom Facelift

Our guest bathroom is being remodeled. So far, all but one piece of drywall has been replaced, the appliances are out, and we'll be replacing the sink, the lighting is out, and the ceiling has been scraped of it's popcorn features, and the flooring ripped up. So it's pretty bare. This weekend, Chris's parents came in town to help us with the renovations. Brenda and I painted the office, actually, and the guys worked on the bathroom. Chris bought a compound miter saw, which he's been needing for awhile. He was pretty excited about that. We bought floor and shower tile, but it will be installed next week because Chris's dad, Mike, will be coming back to Austin to stay with us for 4 more days to help finish the bathroom! We are so thankful for his servant's heart and are very fortunate to have his help since this is a crazy-busy season for us. We were hoping to have it completed by Christmas but from the looks of it, it may be done by Thanksgiving.



This is my favorite picture of the weekend. We tried out 3 different shades of green before deciding. My creativity spun into a masterpiece which I call, "The Phantom Menace of Thumper."

Date Night Fun

Ever seen "Old School" with Will Farrell? Remember the part about how dates change after you're married into trips to Home Depot and Bed, Bath, and Beyond? Kinda true. We try to have a date night once a week. Last night we went to Crate and Barrell to look at furniture, but it was closed, so instead we looked for new shoes for Chris and ended up going home to watch "Little People, Big World," one of my favorites right now. :) Here's evidence of the fun that was had.

For the Love!

I fell down some stairs yesterday morning while walking into class--yes, my sure-footedness failed me--and now I have a swollen leg, bruised knee, and sprained ankle. That happened about 6:30am yesterday, and I cared for it by standing on it all day long until getting off work at 12:30am last night. Ha! Times like this I just have to laugh at myself, I think, and say, "for the love!"

Pics From Their Visit

After we had stuffed ourselves with Thai food, we got a quick photo of each other before they left.

Festivus for the Rest of Us

Curtis and Catherine came to visit this weekend. We are so glad to have them as our friends. We always have such a good time together, and we never feel like we have to entertain them--they are easy guests! Saturday morning, Chris and I accidentally didn't wake up until 9am (which is really late for us), and we felt really bad because we were hosting company, but they were already up and were making breakfast for all of us! They live in Dallas, so we only get to see them every couple of months. They bought their first home around the same time as we did, so we've been sharing the journey of remodeling together.

Today we had our Fall Festival at church, so it has been a busy day. I have a couple of hours this afternoon before I head back tonight. I have finals to study for, homework, and cleaning to do...but what I'd really like is to just plop in front of the TV and veg out for the afternoon. I'm pretty tired.

Chris is training for a half marathon, so he's running this afternoon with his co-workers. He's been working a lot on the bathroom lately. In 2 weeks, his parents are coming in town to help install the shower and floor tile, so we're hoping to get to a certain point before they get here.

It's almost November and that's a good sign that the semester is coming to an end. I am declaring the year of 2007 as the year that my life will be simplified. I'd like to narrow down my two and a half jobs down to one, no school, and the least amount of responsibilities as possible. I'll be taking a break from Equipping classes at our church, babysitting, and extracurricular activities. I'd like to really focus on growing and deepening my walk with Christ. I have been just way too busy this year. I've learned my lesson.

Before & After

We got haircuts...can you see the changes? Maybe not with the both of us. :)

Some Amazing Mommies

These are a few of some great moms in our church. It has been fun watching and learning as they raise their children grounded the Word of God.

Debra is the first mom, with baby Ezra. She told me this story a couple of weeks ago. Jude is her older son, 4 years old. One day at home, he asked, "Mommy, what happens someday if Ezra doesn't love Jesus?" After getting her emotions toghter, she just looked back at him and in a serious way said, "Well, Jude, he might not, so you better start praying that he will someday." She said that immediately he got down on his knees, closed his eyes, folded his hands, and started praying right then and there!This is Mickie and her daughter Makayla. Mickie's daily prayer is to exalt the name of the Lord and do it as a testimony to her 3 children. She and her husband, Jason, have been married for about 7 years now. When they got married, Jason wasn't a Christian. Through several difficult years, praying and relying completely on God, she got to see her husband come to know the Father. And now because of that, he also is a great daddy to his kids.
And this is Becky with Peyton. I love them! Becky is the Children's Ministry Assistant for our church. God has called her to this place and is using her in a strong way to not only raise up her two children in the Lord, but also to be working so that other little ones would come to know Him, too. She has a great love for people and connects well with other moms.

On a Brisk Night in October

Life (a.k.a. my busyness) just isn't getting any better. And I was thinking yesterday how our lives are so short here on Earth. Really, when you think about it, we are here today and gone tomorrow. It's silly when I put it in that perspective because I wonder, "what am I doing to myself?" I have absolutely no down time. I'm constantly running from one committment to the next. I feel like I've jumped into some things that just weren't intended for me, but I can't back out. I want to be responsible and follow-through with committments and jobs and relationships, but I'm getting so worn out. My nights feel like I close my eyes and open them 10 minutes later. I woke up this morning (4:45am) and just started crying because I was so tired and knew that I had a long day ahead of me. But even as I am writing this, I am convicted once again for not seeking complete and utter satisfaction in Christ. I have been praying for contentment and specifically that He would be my Prince of Peace. I have not sought happiness from my days lately. I have been fatigued and have been recovering from strep throat and have simply been exhausted from life. I confess that I have been really selfish in not seeking Christ alone. He is IT. He is the only thing that matters and He will be the only thing that will ever give me joy and rest, even when I'm not physically rested. He loves me deeply and wants me to be in relationship with Him. I've missed that. I can honestly say that I haven't had any quality time with Him in quite awhile now. And my personality is affected because of it. What rambling I'm doing...

On a brighter note, I had Monday off from school and Chris and I took it off from work. We went to Enchanted Rock State Park and hiked to our heart's content. It was definitely the most fun day I've had in Texas since we moved here. It was the first day I started feeling better after having been sick, the weather was great, and I was with the one whom my heart loves. It is beautiful out there. We got sunburned and skinned some knees and bit by fire ants...and I got stuck on top of a huge boulder for a bit...but we had so much fun together. We drove through Fredericksburg on the way back. Chris had never been there before. It's an old German town with lots of cute street shops. We went to a Chocolatier. That was really interesting to me since I studied chocolate art and the making of it in my P&B class. I got to watch the process in the store, then we bought 2 each and savored the flavor on the front bench outside the store.

(Sidenote: I lost my cell phone, in case any of you have tried to contact me. I am continuing to check my messages, but won't be able to call you back most likely since I don't know your number by heart. Call Chris if there's an emergency or you can email me.)

The last thing I'd like to express tonight is still how lonely we are down here. We keep on praying for some close friends, but it's just not happening yet. And we're here for a good amount of time, we believe. Chris has found a seminary campus he can commute to when that time comes, so that will keep us in Austin indefinitely. We love Austin, but we miss our families and our friends so much. I've tried to really let people know how much we are in need of community, but we don't feel like there's genuine interest in us (This isn't true of all parties!). Please pray for that.

I feel extra pessimistic tonight. Disregard my crazytalk. I love you all. I wish I knew if anyone looked at our blog. :)

Time to Slow Down

Chris and I have both been working a ton, but now I have strep throat, so I think that's a reason to slow down. Miraculously, my two events this weekend for work got cancelled, so I have 3 whole days of absolute, committment-free bliss. And even better--I have no school on Monday! If I feel better, we are planning to head out to Enchanted Rock State Park for some hiking. I have felt guilty for awhile now that since I've been working so much, Chris has been getting my leftovers. Leftovers of time, energy, happiness, etc. We had a couple of hard days there, but nothing that some quality time together couldn't fix. We love each other a lot, but we are constantly learning how to love well like Jesus does for us. He does that really well.

I don't remember the last time I had extra time...so this is really wonderful. I took a 4-hour nap after school today, took a shower, did dishes, walked to our mailbox to get the mail, sent out some emails, looked through pictures, planned a menu for next week, and wrote a card. Really, as silly as this is, I am joyful to have time to slow down. Tonight Chris and I are doing a Prison Break marathon, I hope. And maybe some ice cream. Because it's good for my throat, right??

One Down, One To Go

Here is the plated dessert that I presented today for my Practical Final: Hot Citrus Souffle (orange and lemon zest) with Créme Anglaise, 2 Spritz cookies, and the name written with dark, tempered chocolate.
Today I'll be studying for my written exam which is tomorrow, then I'll be DONE with Baking and Pastry! (The celebration is really that I won't have to have the same instructor anymore.) Just thought you'd like to see something I produced today.

Work, Carey, Work. Work, work, work. See Carey work.

Yesterday I was on my feet from 5am, when I woke up, until 12:30am, when I got home from work. I went straight from school to work and straight from work to bed. I worked an event last night at a ranch house in Dripping Springs, and I think it might have been the most expensive house I've ever stepped foot in--definitely a multi-million dollar property. It was unbelieveable; very modern/contemporary interior design, which didn't make it feel quite as homey and comfortable as our 1300 square-foot home with an overgrown backyard, a tree house that needs to be torn down, and lots of other never-ending house projects. I'm glad we have our home. But the event was fun and it was an awesome experience. This one was a 12-course meal for top contributors to the Austin Lyric Opera. We had a private concert at the house, too. That was cool.

I have the day off today, but work tonight. Chris is discipling a college student and is meeting with him this afternoon, so I'm in charge of watering the grass, taping Chris's office for painting, and making a list of goals for our house. When he gets back, we'll paint it, take a walk this afternoon, and hopefully have time to watch some college football together before I head off to work.

I've got one week left in my P&B class, then Garde Manger. That will be my last class before my internship. I'm really getting burned out with school, but am trying to enjoy it while it lasts. I was thinking how less complicated my life will be beginning next year because I'll consolidate two jobs and school into one full-time job. That seems pretty good right now.

Singapore

Here are some pictures of Chris when he was in Singapore. He had a good time, even though he worked A LOT of hours. The best part is that he got to share Christ with some people over there in several different ways.

Moving Day Pics

A mound of boxes at our apartment before we moved.
The gang who helped us.
And a cute little horned owl that lives in our backyard. He has a friend but we haven't seen him in awhile.

My Saturday Night...Not at the ACL Fest

Chris is home! I picked him up from the airport this morning at 8:50am, drove home, dropped him off and headed to babysit familiy #1. 3 kids. We played with Barbies, watched "Spirit," ate pizza for lunch, played with trains, and I put the youngest down for a nap. I went home and it was so good to finally go home to my husband who's been out of the country for 3 weeks. He was anxious to work in the yard, and it looked great when I returned. We have our work cut out for us though as far as seeding in the Spring, planting a garden, trimming dead limbs in our trees, and possibly routing out a sprinkler system. Lots of projects. (I want to mention how much I love Chris! I am so blessed to have him as my husband and share life experiences with him. I started praying for the man I would marry when I was 10 years old, and God surely answered my prayer.) We had planned to eat our dinner together after grilling on our new grill, but we couldn't get it to turn on for some reason, so we opted for cooking it in the oven and over stoptop. We made chocolate-covered strawberries, too, a favorite dessert of ours since we started dating. Chris really tried to stay awake, but he was struggling from jetlag. He finally went to bed not too soon before I left to babysit for family #2. And that's where I am now...while many are at the ACL Fest. I'm at a house in the 78704 neighborhood. Very chic house. Nolan is 10 months and he's sleeping. I talked to my mom on the phone, tried to call JMK (you know who you are), flipped channels for awhile, settling on Iron Chef America, and now doing this. Still an hour or so to go. I'm looking forward to returning home once again to my hubby. I love his company. :) And I'm looking forward to a lazy day tomorrow, getting up when we want, maybe going to play discgolf, working in the yard, or going running together. What fun life is with the one you love. Praise God.

"Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fond"

Hurray! Chris has been gone for 3 weeks to Singapore for work. I've missed him a lot! But his return flight is scheduled for Saturday morning! He's leaving his hotel room in about 2 hours from now and will travel about 30 hours to get back to our new home. He left just 4 days after we moved in, so it will be different to him, I'm sure, to come back here. I'm hoping to welcome him home with a yummy dinner that night on our new grill. He's gotten really tired of eating out on his trip. Unfortunately, however, I scheduled two shifts of babysitting on Saturay from 9:45am-1, and from 7:45pm-11pm. I agreed to them too soon, I think, but it will help with our budget. Christopher will probably be sleeping to catch up from jetlag anyway. I'm so happy he's coming home! What a void in my life to have my husband gone for so long. But I will agree with the old saying...

Rest

"Resting in Jesus, I'm resting in Him. Putting my faith in His Word. Trusting, obeying, my Heavenly Friend. Resting in Jesus, my Lord." (Acapella Children)

For awhile there I was beginning to wonder...stress can take over life so quickly, and I admit that I get easily wrapped up in what's going on in the moment that I forget to keep life in perspective. But I've been able to step back now and see it as such a short time here on this little planet that I get to glorify my God and make much of Him each day I breathe air. Life is still busy for me, but I rest in Jesus and His sovereignty. I cast all my cares on Him. And it's so much better that way.

Last night I got to have some girl time, which was good for me and super-fun. Melanie and I went to Becky's and hung out with her and the girlies. We played with Madi and Peyton, dipped to make chocolate covered strawberries for an office birthday party today, drank some ritas, and watched the season finale of Dawson's Creek! We slept over, too. I really needed time away from the house and school stuff. They are blessings to me.

I had my midterm yesterday in my patisserie class, so I'm halfway done with it now..and after this class, only one more to go! This school year has gone fast, looking back. I'm still loving it and enjoying my job, too.

That's the wrap.

Taking Care of Today

So we moved in two weeks ago and since then, life has not slowed down. Chris is traveling and I am in charge of setting up home. How fun, you say? Oh yes, indeed, if I had time...but life has been very busy and chaotic lately. I start job # 2 tomorrow (which I'm super-excited about, by the way), I was in Dallas for the Labor Day weekend, and with working my other job approx. 20 hours a week, house-stuff hunting and yardwork and school 6 hours a day everyday, I'm realizing that a Sabbath in my life is way overdue. It's hard to just slow down and 'take in life' when my mind is consumed with to do lists and tasks to accomplish for the day. This is one of my greatest faults, I would say. It's easy for me to get caught up in what's going on in my life at the moment and completely forget about everything and everyone else but myself. Pretty selfish of me. But to be honest, when I have any free time at all, I usually just want to sleep. Nice, cold sheets. Three pillows. Heavy blanket. Curtains closed. Dark room. Alarm off. What could be better??

Home Sweet Home

We moved in a week and a half ago. I've been keeping busy remodeling the guest bathroom, fixing up our bedroom, and painting the dining room. Lots of fun. Can't wait to have company one we get it all together.

My baking and patisserie class is going well. It's really easy and pretty layed back. We make lots of really yummy things that just keep broadening my knowledge and skills. I'm so glad I am in culinary school.

I work pretty much the whole weekend, but I plan to head to Colleyville Saturday night til Monday for Labor Day weekend to visit my parents-in-law.

Resurrection of the Roach

So evidently it is possible to stun cockroaches, but not kill them. I just assumed it was dead since it layed on it's back for hours, but last night when we went to the house to bring some more stuff, I checked on it in the garage and it was definitely alive, on it's belly. So I think I need to physically crush it next time after I've disabled it. Today I called and set up our first pest control service to make sure we don't get any more.

Chris wanted me to mention on here that we won the lottery the other day...a whopping $4.00. Every now and then we take our chances and use a dollar to buy a scratch-off ticket, and this time we were victorious.

Ordered a refrigerator yesterday. We didn't expect to have to buy one, but there was a miscommunication in our contract, so now we have a new frige. It's being delivered on Monday. It's black, and has the freezer on the bottom.

And I Thought (enter a famous inventor here) Was Smart

So today I discovered what I think might be the best invention ever created (apart from other significant inventions such as Kitchen Aid mixers and weed whackers): cockroach killer spray. I don't know if you are all aware that for many years now I have suffered from entomophobia, specific only to the Order of Blattodea. I have tried to get over this dumb fear, however, moving to Texas didn't help any. I found one in our garage this morning, hiding in the dark. I panicked only a minute or so, being sure to stand free and clear of it, at least 10 feet away. But I mustered up the courage to destroy this invader. Conveniently and miraculously, there just so happened to be some of this glorious pest spray on a shelf. The old homeowners must have forgotten it, but I know that God had perfectly predestined it to be there for this very moment. The best part about this killing agent is that just by impressing my appendage upon the nozzle button, I was able to "shoot" the devilbug all the way from where I was, not getting near it. It was powerful enough from several feet away to annhilate it. The foaming action confused and disoriented the devilbug and by the time it regained it's senses, the poison had overtaken it's life and it lay motionless on it's back. Though I now have my hope placed in this trusty killing spray, I still had to check on the corpse every now and then just to make sure that it wasn't resurrected by some crazy reason. That's my story of victory for today.

Moving Day Approaches

As of today, we have official possession of our house now. What a wait! I went to Home Depot and bought painting supplies, and I think tomorrow I might head over there to start on a room. Our big move will be this weekend. Chris's dad is coming down to help us, and we think we might have a few others that are interested. Today I researched the best buy for a refrigerator. We are excited to move in and make it our home. In the mean time, our apartment is a disaster! There are a ton of boxes everywhere, and I'm in the middle of packing the kitchen, so there are dishes on the counters and dishes that need to be washed. I feel a bit frazzled when my home isn't organized. Call me a woman, I guess.

Happy Birthday, Meredith!

My dear friend, Meredith, turns 22 today. We met each other on the first day of kindergarten and we have been great friends ever since. We've shared in each others' joys and sorrows through family issues, relationships, school, and other challenges of life. I miss you, Meg!

Kiddos

I've been doing a lot of babysitting recently. It's fun. I do childcare once a week for 10 kids for a community group at our church (Luckily, there's another girl, too, who helps.), and I'm interviewing with a mom to watch her 11 mo. old a couple times a week. I get my kid-fix and I'm good for another week.

Psalm 34:8

I did not have a productive day at all and I felt really lazy today. Tomorrow I have a meeting and I work tomorrow night. And Friday. I love my job. I went to Central Market today and costed out my product list for what I'll need to buy to make the Lemans' dinner in a couple weeks. I'm soo excited, in case you forgot from my last blog. :) I ordered business cards online today for free. Well, you have to pay the shipping fee, but that's still pretty cheap. I'm in the process of creating a website for my company. I should hurry and purchase the domain name so that it doesn't get taken, but I'm still thinking through a lot of it. I don't want to make a hasty decision.
Here's a cropped version of my business card...without my personal info.

The Fords

This is the first couple that Chris and I met here in Austin and I'd say that they are probably the ones we are closest to still. We really enjoy their company and doing random things together. Meet Jenny and Jason.

Chef Carey

I have been hired to do some freelance work by cooking an anniversary dinner for some friends in Waco. I talked to them this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. I'll be preparing an 8-course meal, including a different wine for each course. I have been emailing back and forth and we've decided on a menu. I would love to disclose that information, but it is probably best if I wait until the event has passed. I need to practice some techniques first, and if by chance they don't work out, then I'll adapt the menu accordingly. :) I'm pumped.

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY, ANDY & MANDY

My older brother married a beautiful, Godly woman one year ago today. What a fun day it was! I love you both and I'm so glad that we can all share the joys of marriage together.

My Husband is a Triathlete...

This morning we woke up at 4:30am to leave for Chris's triathalon in Blanco. He and his two co-workers, Gabe and Casey, did extremely well. 400 people signed up for the tri, but they did a sprint-tri which is shorter in length. Out of the 232 people that did the sprint-tri, here are Chris's results (I'm bragging on him because he wouldn't say anything to anyone and I'm proud of him.) : He got 2nd in the swim! 39th place in the bike, and 20th in the run. Overall, he was ranked at 15th!

"Curious George"

This summer at the movie theater near our house, they have been offering a Free Family Movie Day every Wednesday morning at 10am. Yesterday I went and saw "Curious George" by myself, or rather with a theater packed-full of kiddos, most of them under the age of 5. They were constantly getting up to go potty or crying or throwing popcorn. Fun atmosphere. :) I also noticed that the volume wasn't as loud and they kept some of the lights on. But nonetheless, a free movie is always a bargain.

Yesterday I worked and had a lot of fun. I have no complaints about my job. My boss treats me well and as a result, I want to work hard and do a good job for her and the business. That's the way it should be. I just did prep stuff for some clients this week that will pick up food to freeze for the week. Also, I have an event next Thursday night on Lake Travis. One of our clients throws a summer camp every year at their lake house for his daughter (now Junior High age) and her little girlfriends. He hires UT students to teach arts and crafts and watch over them at the lake. We will be teaching them some cooking lessons and then serving them dinner. It will be fun. I think that's so sweet that the father does this every year for the girls. Cute idea.

After getting off of work, I headed home to change and grab something to eat. Luckily Chris had ordered pizza because I literally had 10 minutes before I had to head out the door to babysit. I watch about 10 kids each Wednesday night with another girl while the parents are at a Bible Study. We usually take them to a nearby park with snacks and drinks, and we often make walks back to the house for potty-breaks, band-aids, etc. I love seeing the kids and playing with them. They are a sweet bunch. I look forward to getting my kid fix every week.

Today Chris is home sick, so we are just being lazy around the apartment. If he goes into work after lunch, I think I'm going to clean and keep packing. Less than 2 weeks until we move!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday to you. I love you!
(Picture from Andy and Amanda's wedding last year...will be 1 year for them Aug. 6th!)

God is good

I have a HUGE praise from today: I've got an accountability partner! Ever since we moved here, I know that the Lord has been placing it on my heart to get into a relationship where I can grow spiritually and be held accountable by someone. God answered that prayer. Today I met for lunch with my friend from church, Becky. She's wonderful. Her two daughters, Madi and Petyon, are the ones I babysat for last semester. We just met to talk, but out of our conversation came our decision to meet with each other randomly or with notice or on the phone, to talk about life, our walks, and our struggles. It's going to be a sweet time of fellowship, I can already tell.

Another exciting thing happening is that Chris and I have decided to read through the Bible in a year. We are starting today and we have a plan written out of what to read each day. I'm looking forward to this since it's been awhile that I've read something specific in the Word with intention. I have a good feeling about this. I love being in community with other believers, and I love spending time in prayer with God, but being in the Word is one thing I've pushed on the back burner lately. Looking forward to it!

Today has been a great day. God is good. And this is Becky.

Lazy Saturdays

I love lazy Saturdays. Sleeping in is a great start. This morning Chris woke up and rode ~26 miles with the two guys from work that he's doing the triathalon with this weekend. He came home and I fixed a breakfast of buttermilk pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs. I'm not a huge breakfast person, but Chris sure enjoyed it after his workout this morning. It's great not feeling rushed to go anywhere or do anything. Today we have plans to go to a bookstore, get biking shorts for Chris, and have a date night tonight! We'll be heading to Mount Bonnell with a picnic to watch the sun set. Ice cream afterwards. This really reminds me of when we first started dating because neither of us had much money to spend for dates. One of my favorite memories is Chris fixing me dinner at his apartment, then we took a blanket and chocolate covered strawberries over to Happy Hollow Park to watch the stars. So much fun. We also used to play cards and have coffee a lot with gift cards his mom would send him. :) I feel like there's something great about returning to our "roots" of when we first met and being reminded that we don't need to spend money to have a good time together. He's such a fun person to be around.

Posting Links

If anyone who uses Google Blogger knows how to post links on the sidebar (like other people's blogs), please let me know. I've used the Help tool here, but it doesn't seem to change anything, and when it comes to me writing code in html, I don't trust myself.

The Boyfriend Pillow

Found this while looking for a birthday gift online the other day:

"Never curl up on the couch alone again, with this comforting arm that wraps around you as if to say, "I'm sorry work was rotten today," or "No, you pick what we watch tonight," all the stuff you'd never hear from a real boyfriend."

Enjoying My Summer

We had so much fun climbing! We found out that there's a group of people that go every Monday at 3:30. I'll have to get on board with that. It felt so good to get a different kind of exercise that what I'm used to. I realize that my upper body strength is quite poor!

I'm so thankful for the current block I'm in in school and that it allows me so much free time. It really is a blessing because it's like one last taste of a summer break before I enter the big people's world. It's great walking every morning with Melanie, my great new friend from church. She's wonderful and we have fun talking and catching up every day. I like getting up early because I feel like the day is longer and I have more time to enjoy doing things that I love.

I've been having fun coming up with ideas for our new house, too. Here's what I'm thinking for our bedroom.
We have the exact same layout as far as space in our room and where the windows are located. I'm thinking of a similar blue color for the walls, but with a different bedspread. Luckily, the old homeowners are leaving all the window treatments, so that will really help with saving money because they are usually expensive, I think. And the curtains already up look like the ones in this photo. Our bedroom furniture looks almost exactly the same as these, too. We have just one nightstand, plus we have a low dresser and mirror and a tall dresser of drawers. But I like the color combo in this picture, including the sheer curtains, the small mirror over the bed, and the two matted pictures on the wall. Here's a bedspread I've found that is similar, and I like it better.

Mama Mia!

Mama Mia! was this weekend and it was one of the best musicals I've been to (not in though!) so far. It was so funny and the actors were so talented. We had a great time.

I've just been packing a lot today. I'm at the point where there's not much else to pack until the week of the move because there's stuff like towels, cleaning supplies, clothes, shoes, cookbooks, etc. that I'll probably need before we move. We're hoping to get help from family and maybe some church friends, otherwise, it would be tough with just Chris and I to transport our bedroom furniture, washer and dryer, and both sofas.

This afternoon we're going rock climbing on the Greenbelt with one of our pastors and some friends from church. Speaking of church, last night, Matt, our main teaching pastor, spoke an awesome sermon from John (surprise, surprise...they've been teaching from John verse by verse since the church started...3 years ago!). If you think you understand the concept of making much of God, consider these.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Last night I worked my first event as a Personal Chef. It was a lot of fun. I have no complaints and I really liked working with the two other chefs. I feel so blessed to have "fallen" into this great job. Praise God.

A couple nights ago we were expecting a couple over for dinner, but they had to cancel on us so I am hoping we can recruit some people to come eat lunch over here today so we can eat the food that's been waiting in our frige.

We move in a month now. Chris's trip to Singapore has been postponed until after our move, which is fantastic. It was going to be tough moving by myself!

The last week I have been walking at Town Lake everyday. It's been good to get some sunshine and quiet time alone. Chris and I are also on this search for "our sport" that we can enjoy together. This week we are investigating tennis.

I miss all you Indiana people, if you ever read this. Not a day goes by still that I don't think about you. We love Austin and I am glad we moved here, but it's not the same without my close friends and family. I can't help but be a bit nostaglic when I think of you and wish I could just fly home on a whim to hang out. You're not forgotten.

Answer to Prayer!

A huge answer to prayer: I got a job today! I've been looking for one ever since I quit working at Onion Creek over a month ago. I will be working as a personal chef! This is crazy too, since that's what I aspire to do as my ultimate goal someday. God knows best. I am working for a lady who started her own business (www.finehomedining.com) 6 years ago and has since hired on one other chef to work with her, but now she is wanting to expand to business and do more marketing, but first she needed to hire another chef...me! I am really excited about this opportunity. I have my first event on Saturday where I will arrive at the hostess's home and cook in her kitchen while entertaining 80 guests. Once I'm finished cooking, I get to mingle among the group of people, answer questions about the dishes, serve hor d'voures, and just enjoy the atmosphere. Compared to my last experience working in a kitchen, this sounds just so much fun. It reminds me of the days I worked at the president's home at Purdue. Fine dining, but not more than usually 100 people. I would much rather prefer working for a small-scaled company with whom I am able to interact with the customers on a personal level. The clientel of this company is consistent yet growing more each month. I am excited to have such a great job and to learn more about my industry. This is a really fun field to work in. I get to be an artist, use my hands, and create things that people enjoy eating.

Ft. Worth Zoo

Today we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo and enjoyed ourselves as we took our time walking around to see all the animals. We decided that it would be more fun if we had little kiddos with us, but we still had a good time.


This one's for you, Steph...
I learned today that the gestation period for an elephant is 22 months. Wow.

I like gorillas. :)

Canyon of the Eagles

Chris and I really enjoyed our stay at Canyon of the Eagles. We stayed two nights, kayaked, hiked, saw a ton of animals (no bald eagles though), and ate dinner at their restaurant. It was a great start to our vacation.