Things That Make Me Happy

1. Having a day off
2. When I've saved up enough money for a massage
3. Puppies
4. G-Love and the Special Sauce (next Friday!)
5. Cooking for pleasure

Today was my first day off in over a week and I'm lovin it. I did save up enough for a massage and got to do that today, too. Still looking for a puppy. Excited for the concert next week. Making a Greek yogurt and lamb meatball soup for dinner with pitas and a roasted red pepper hummus.

Chris is a Winner

Yay! This morning Chris ran a half marathon and did a great job. He finished in 1:41. He ran it with 2 co-workers at AMD, Casey and Ben. They also did an awesome job. We're about to head to lunch with them in an hour or so.

Scattergories

The dinner party went really well. I had a revelation while in the kitchen cooking. I stopped and thought, "I'm only 22 years old and people are paying me to cook for them." How cool. I love what I do. It's an area where there is always more to learn, a fun place to challenge myself, and a great way to serve others. People will always have to eat, but I like making people feel extra special by feeding them well. Here's a picture of me in the maddness of it all on Thursday night.
Last night we got together with a couple of our friends, Casey and Megan, who also went to Purdue. Chris works with Casey at AMD and Megan works for another tech company in town, as a financial analyst. We hadn't gotten together since before Christmas, so it was good to catch up and hear what's going on with everyone. We also played one of my favorite board games, Scattergories. We've had the game since we got married, but I think we've only played it once or twice since Chris doesn't like playing it. We also watched a movie with them, ate some movie candy and popcorn that we had brought over, and just relaxed. Chris and I had been needing some down time together, so last night was really good.

And it's Sunday morning. This is my only day off this week, so I'm trying to soak it up and enjoy the time off. Our church is beginning a 4-week series starting today talking about marriage. We also, as community group shepherds, will be facilitating a discussion about it at our meeting on Tuesday night. It should be interesting and especially insightful for us. We laugh at the thought of teaching about it since we are so young and inexperienced ourselves. We still have rough patches and get frustrated with each other and act really immature and selfish sometimes, but I think that's the reality of marriage for us. We don't love each other any less, so in the midst of it all, we completely have to trust in Jesus to carry us through.

Valentine's Day

V-Day keeps those of us in the food industry busy every year. I'm doing an event Thursday night and here's the menu I've created. Thought it might be interesting to you.

Salade

Assortment of Watercress, Arugula, and Italian Parsley

Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Pecan-Crusted Chevre

Tossed with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

Entrée

Roasted Loin of Pork Roulades

With Granny Smith Apple, Mission Fig, Cranberries

Butternut Squash Risotto with Pecorino

Haricots Vert

Drizzled with Warm Orange-Shallot Sauce

Dessert

Chocolate Profiteroles

Pate au Choux filled with ice cream

Warm Chocolate Sauce

Whipped Chantilly

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries