TGIF

I love Fridays. Most often it means that I have a day off from work. And sometimes it means a day of work, catching up on everything I've neglected during the week. Work has been busy. I can't complain because it means that I'm getting paid (and I do love what I do), but it's hard to get myself out of bed in the mornings to stand on my feet all day long. I know a lot of you have the same thoughts yourselves, finding the motivation to get up when your pillow is still perfectly molded to fit your head and your sheets are beckoning and the quiet whisper of the fan overhead seems to want nothing more than for you to lay back down, close your eyes, and continue dreaming. Ah. But on the days you can do that, it almost makes the whole work week worth it. Almost.

I had a great nap today. 2 hours of blessed R.E.M. cuddling my warm, fuzzy dog. He loves me.

Other things I did today:

. Ordered our soon-to-be kitchen island. One of the pieces is on back order. They expect it to arrive mid-June. I'm pumped that we'll have additional seating near the kitchen where I can interact with guests instead of feeling stuck in the kitchen and just listening to conversation in the living room. Under the island will house the bigger pieces of china that we possess instead of their current locale at the top of our bedroom closet. Something about musty socks and dishes don't mix.

. Baked some banana-walnut muffins and threw in a few chocolate chips for chocolate's sake.

. Spun some mango sorbet. Them were good mangoes, too. Splash of lime juice and some simple syrup and you're in the game.

. Dropped off some money at the bank for their safe keeping.

. Baked and bombed. You'd think I know better than to use skim when baking. But I was lazy and didn't want to go to the store. Thus my endeavor of chocolate bread pudding is much less of a custardy dish than I had hoped. We'll be heading over to our friends' tonight and I think we'll pick up some ice cream on the way instead. Mmm. With fresh peaches. And a sprinkle of cinnamon. Done.

. My last ambition of the day will be the bathrooms. Chris's excuse is that since he doesn't wear his glasses in the shower, he can't see how dirty the tub is. Or the toilet. Or the sink. Hmm. So I'll have a late night date with some chemicals and a scrubby later on.

remember.

i can hardly wait to share with you what i've discovered this morning. i've been studying the book of esther with my small group of gals from church and it's my first beth moore study i've done, but i have to say that i am sold and would love to do the rest of her studies at some point.

for the sake of time (i have a pork shoulder in the oven i need to tend to shortly), i'll just recount the jist of esther to catch you up. cliff's notes, if you will. but carey's version.

esther wins the spot to become the new queen of persia, king xerxes's wife. she is a jew and has kept her nationality a secret so far. haman, this horrible man, who is essentially acting as king (because xerxes gave him his signet ring to sign whatever law into action he pleases), has a horrifying passion to annihilate the jewish people. this desire of his is fanned into flame by mordecai's (esther's cousin who adopted and raised her after her parents died) refusal to bow to haman. so haman is enraged and decides to not only kill mordecai but to kill all jews.

haman orders the pony express to deliver certified mail to each household in all regions of persia (written in every language so that every person would understand the new law set into place) to deliver the message that in just 11 months, jews should be ready to be murdered.

this is where it gets good.

this news was delivered to households on the same day as passover. what's so special about that, you ask? well, even if you weren't a devout jew at the time, of all holidays and celebrations, passover was the one you did not miss out on, therefore it can be assumed that everyone was gathered in homes with their families preparing the table for this annual feast.

"that very evening at dusk, in accordance with God's command, the fathers were to recount to their families the story of Israel's deliverance from the mighty Egyptians. they told about the terrible bondage and oppression, about Pharaoh and his arrogant unwillingness to release them, and about the 10 dreadful plagues. they also rehearsed every detail of the miraculous redemption in the ears of their wives and children, but this time no doubt choking back the tears and trying not to alarm the little ones. celebration turned to shock and horror, but for those who were willing, perhaps also to hope." (beth moore's words)

haman must have been so proud of himself, thinking that he'd ruined their passover celebration with this horrifying news. but the timing was perfect, wasn't it? the jews were reminded who they were and what God had done for them. He had delivered them from the egyptians and He could do it again from the persians.

in the same way, we must remember. "He who delivered you from drugs can deliver you from distraction. He who delivered you from bankruptcy can deliver you from bingeing. He who delivered you from infertility can deliver you from inconsistency. He who delivered you from the fire can deliver you from fear."

it's like God is using winds of a new threat to blow the dust off a past miracle that has moved from our active file into the archives.

remember.
remember what God has done for you.

in love.

I was looking through the many pictures we've saved in the "Marlow" folder on our computer tonight and found some really fun ones from when he was just a pup. He's still one of my favorite things ever and I can't get enough of him. I tell people that he's my first born and although I will love my human child in a much deeper way, Marlow is my first puppy ever and he stole my heart from the beginning. I don't think every person that has a dog loves their dog as much as some others do. For some, it is just a pet. For others, like myself, it's more than a companion. He's family. He taught me to love from a part of my heart I didn't know existed. I don't think I'm the only one like that either.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Tonight I am getting together with some friends to celebrate two birthdays this week. I decided to make a cake, adapted from The Pioneer Woman. Can't wait to taste it.

An Athiest's Interaction with a Christian

Penn Jillette is a comedian, illusionist, juggler and writer.

A Year Ago Today...

...We lost our Marlow in the big bad jungle of Austin's Greenbelt. Good news though, we found him 6 days later...so, this Friday we'll be celebrating our sweet pooch after his strict house arrest where he'll be locked inside until then. I still thank God every day that I have my puppy back. I love him so much. I'll probably end up spoiling him this week; bones, toys, extra love, play dates, etc., but all within closed doors, or at least in an enclosed yard. :)

Other shenanigans as of lately: Yesterday we drove to Waco to have dinner with friends, celebrating the graduation of their daughter from Baylor. (Picture below.) They really blessed us by paying for a delicious, expensive meal.

I've started to feel my little girl move around in my belly. That's exciting for me and it's a nice reminder that I actually am pregnant.

For this week it's pretty much just work except for a doctor appointment and dinner with friends on Wednesday night. We are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend with Chris's family. It's always so refreshing to get away, sleep in, eat well, and swim. Marlow loves his Texas grandparents, so it will be a fun trip for all.

Oh yeah, and did you know that Marlow's got his own furniture store in Waco? He keeps all kinds of secrets from me. A cafe in Jolietville, IN, an investigation office in Savannah, GA and now a furniture store. What's it gonna be next?

Have A Laugh

I'm not one to laugh out loud by myself much but these photos did it for me today.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

20 Weeks

Turning Twenty5

I had a great birthday weekend this year. Chris took off from work on Friday so we could spend the day together and that was the best gift I could receive. It started wonderfully with our perinatal doctor visit and a hearty breakfast at Kirby Lane. We also went to the Botanic Gardens, took Marlow to run and swim at Red Bud, went to dinner and saw a movie in the theater and just relaxed in the evening together.

Saturday (my birthday) was great, too. I got a massage in the morning, which was the best one to date, and found the massage therapist that I'm sticking with for life. I had a yummy kolache for breakfast and bought some new sandals. At home I spent some time doing finishing touches to the meal for the evening while Chris did some yard work. At 6pm yesterday, we met several of our friends at Zilker Park for a potluck picnic. It was great weather and so fun to just hang out with our 'Austin family.' Afterwards, we walked down the hill and set up blankets to watch a free play of 'Romeo and Juliet.'

with Rachel & Jaxson

Marlow & Reagan
(Everyone brought their dogs to the picnic, so there were about 8.)

my wonderful husband

the Gilkersons and Lambchop

Erica & Tom

About 20 people came and brought yummy sides to add to the pulled pork tacos and watermelon that we brought.

Logan

I made tres leches cupcakes with a dulce de leche frosting.

At the Botanic Gardens

"Girl Stuff"

We had an exciting day today celebrating the news that we're going to have a daughter! Thanks for taking part in the poll, if you did. It was fun to see everyone's guesses and for the most part, you were right! Now, onto finding a name.

Hello, Love

My neighbor has a few weapons and has recently assembled an AR-16, equivalent to M-16. He heard that I was in the Army and wanted to see me break it down. So I did the honors and cleaned it while it was apart. I can't say I was able to do it blind-folded and under a minute like I could do five years ago, but it felt so good to have my hands on such a prize again. The smell brought me back in a flash to Basic Training, summer of 2002. I could picture that darn foxhole that I had to dig myself (6 ft. deep x 4 ft. wide x 2 ft. long) with a shovel, practically the size of a children's shovel used to play in sand boxes. I reminisced, doing a few Drill and Ceremony moves, too. I really want a gun now. For the record, did you know I qualified as an Expert Sharpshooter? Seems like another lifetime.

Beautiful People.

Beautiful.

A Few More From Easter Weekend