Food and Fireworks

I'm at school now, but thought I'd chat a bit while I have my break. Today we are prepping for our buffet that we're having tomorrow. Chris is coming and bringing some co-workers. Our class has done a Continental Summer theme and I'm in the starch group, which means that my team members and I have been concentrating on just the starches for the buffet. It will be fun. I've been working on studying for my practical final on Friday, too, and I must say that I'm excited. When we walk in the door on Friday, we'll be assigned two proteins and two veg and we have to present to plates in a certain amount of time with two starch, two sauces, and two garnishes. I really love studying classical French cuisine. Presentation is fun, too. I'm starting a portfolio and gathering pictures and descriptions of plates I've done.

Chris and I are really looking forward to our vacation next week. Saturday we're going to a birthday party for Madi and Peyton, but we'll be leaving town after that. We have reservations for a cabin at Canyon of the Eagles for two nights and three days. We also have reservations for a kayaking day trip. I'm excited to sleep in, hike, be in the quiet, and relax with my hubby. Then we'll head to Colleyville to be with the Bonsers for the rest of the week. The last couple of years, we haven't done anything special on the 4th of July, so this year we will see fireworks and cookout. Last year we had just moved to Austin and I spent the day unpacking boxes. I'm actually doing that as of lately, too. I figure it is easier to pack little by little than to be swamped with it all at the last minute. About a month and a half until we move!

Upcoming Finals and Vacation

Right now I'm studying for my written final in my proteins class. I have this final on Monday, a buffet that we will presenting on Thursday, and our practical final on Friday. Culinary school is so different than a traditional college. It's so fun, too. I have learned so much and have really gotten some great experience and exposure in the industry from food shows to working for a country club to seeing famous celebrity chefs demo dishes. But I'm on the job hunt again and this time it's more stressful because we now have a car payment and mortgage to worry about. Speaking of mortgage, I'm looking forward to moving sometime in August. Our small apartment is getting filled with boxes that we're beginning to collect. Chris and I have a vacation coming up in a week! We so need a break from school and work. To start, we'll be heading to Canyon of the Eagles and staying in a cabin for two nights, compliments from my parents as a Christmas gift. We'll get to spend the days hiking, kayaking, and touring a vineyard in the Hill Country. After that we plan on going to Dallas to stay at his parents' house for the rest of the week. Can't argue with free housing and food. Although, I am looking forward to cooking for them. We plan on making a list of activites we want to do in the DFW area and just knocking them out. I'm also looking forward to just hanging out in the pool and getting some sun. Working in a kitchen, I don't get much sunlight, especially wearing long sleeves and long pants everyday. Gotta get some Vitamin D!

Mom, Dad, and Wedding

The last couple of weeks have been the most fun in a long time. My parents have been on a 3-week vacation around Texas, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. They stayed with us for 5 days last week and they were gracious enough to let Chris and I drag them around different places we wanted them to see. We went hiking on the Greenbelt, visited my school, our church, ate Mexican food and BBQ, went out at 11pm on 6th Street, visited the LBJ Library, toured the Capitol, drove around UT's campus, watched movies, I got to cook for them, and more. It was a ball. I love my parents so much and it is always hard saying goodbye. I'll always be their little girl. :) This last weekend was packed full of fun, too. Laura, my sister-in-law, married into the Wilkerson family. They are honeymooning in Banth, Canada for a week. The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. I was her Maid of Honor, so I had lots to do the day of the wedding. I can't wait to see pictures. Back to school now. I have 2 more weeks until I'm out of this current block, then I have a one week vacation!! Woo hoo. I'll have to soak up my summer break in 7 days. Chris took off a couple days, too, but we're not positive what we're doing yet. We're trying to save the pennies, so our trip will most likely be a froogle one.

San Antonio

We went to San Antonio on the spur of the moment last Saturday. We had planned to go there for a weekend to celebrate our anniversary, but we decided instead to save the money for our vacation in July. Neither of us had been to San Antonio before, so it was fun exploring the downtown area and visiting the Alamo. We walked up and down the riverwalk and ate an early dinner at one of the landmark Mexican restaurants there. We had such a fun day! It sure is getting hot here since summer has begun.

Yesterday was our one year anniversary. We got to eat a piece of our top cake that we had saved from the wedding. We were pretty skeptical since it had been frozen and refrozen a couple of times, and it had also started to leak out some sort of goo as we thawed it, but it didn't turned out too bad. After a small piece, however, we said goodbye and tossed it out.

My parents are coming to visit us at the end of this week. They are taking a two-week-long vacation in Texas to see several old friends. They'll also be going to Laura's (Chris's sister) wedding in just 2 weeks! It will be so good to spend time with them and show the our life in Austin. I'm excited to cook for them, too!

We have been pretty busy lately with all the last minute details with our house. We close on it this Thursday and will officially be homeowners. I am starting to gather boxes from school to save for packing. We won't be moving in until August, but we are looking forward to all the remodeling, yard work, and decorating ahead.

Another pretty big thing is that I quit my job on Friday. I have not enjoyed working there ever since I began and it was a real struggle to go to work each time. I feel so much better already, but now I'm on the job search again. Not sure what too look for now, but I'm keeping my options open.

*For the record, no, Chris doesn't often wear a shirt around home.

1st Anniversary

Sunday, June 4th, is our one-year anniversary. It's crazy how much has happened in one year: new jobs, new school, new church, new friends, new city, new home. I am so thankful for Christopher. He's a wonderful husband and friend. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the many more years to come!