"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.

Buffet and Practical Final Day

Here are some pics from the last two days of CA 102, my proteins class.
Our two sous chefs that helped organize the buffet are the ones who got pied in the face.
My friend, Jennifer Cook, and I. I wish my last name was cook...Chef Cook. Funny.
Our kitchen on a normal production day.
Homemade mozzarella with basil pesto proscuitto wrapped on the inside on a tomato on marble rye bread.

Other canapés for our buffet. They look like stuffed mushrooms.

Plates for Presentation

I make this kind of stuff.

Off We Go!

Yes! It's finally Saturday and our vacation has begun. To recap on the week, I had my practical final on Friday..ended up making Saltimbocca of Sole with a Whole Grain Mustard Sauce with Capers, Haricot Verts in a Red Bell Pepper Ring, and a Twice Baked Potato with Lemon Supremes as the garnish. For my other plate, I made a Mahogany Duck Breast with a Hearty Chutney, Cheesey Cauliflower, and Red Quinoa. I took pictures, but I'll post later this week. I felt so good about my production and presentation and my chef instructors were impressed. I ended up making the highest grade in the class!

Thursday we went out on Lake Austin with Rex, our friend, who just bought a boat. We ate dinner on the water and wake boarded. It was so much fun.

Last night we hung out with Chris's new friend from work and his wife. We had dinner, drinks, and ice cream. They are nice people who have also been married for just a year.

Today we're heading off to celebrate the birthdays of two sweet, little girls that I've babysat for. They are having a pizza/pool party this afternoon. Madi will be four and I got her a kid-sized chef's hat and apron to wear when she plays with her little kitchen.

Then off to Canyon of the Eagles! Our little cabin is awaiting us for two nights. Tomorrow we have a kayaking trip reserved, then we'll hike and enjoy God's beautiful creation. Can't wait. I'm so thankful for time off from school and work. We'll be at the Bonsers' in Colleyville the rest of the week, so I'll post more later. Have a great day!

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!