Fun Weekend

Stephanie and I have known each other since 6th grade when we "played" softball together...or rather, we met as we sat the bench together. That's more accurate. We have been great friends ever since. We went through middle school and high school together and grew up in the same youth group at church. She graduated from Ball State in May, so she and her boyfriend, Kyle came this weekend to visit us. It was lots of fun.

Wanna Laugh? Watch This.

Louie's 106

Tonight was Date Night for us and we had dinner at Louie's 106 downtown next to the Driskill. We had: App- proscuitto wrapped mission figs stuffed with blue cheese with balsamic reduction. We got a bottle of Matua Valley 2006 Sauvignon Blanc to pair nicely with our seafood dishes of: (me) Seafood Risotto (mussels, shrimp, scallops, salmon, calamari), and (Chris) a trout dish. Afterwards, we walked around downtown, then shared a banana split at the Driskill Bakery Cafe.

What We've Been Up To

The Study is complete.

Facelift to the flower bed out front.Our current project: Master Bathroom. This is the damage we did yesterday.

Making Time for Marriage

In the past 48 hours I have put in 30 hours of work. My boss has been out of town this week, so I've taken on normal weekly clients, plus I did two events, one yesterday, one today. Friday night's was a cooking lesson/demo for a group of 10-year old girls at Camp Little A on Lake LBJ. I taught them to make meatballs, a cream reduction sauce, pasta, steamed broccoli, a salad, and garlic bread. They were a fun bunch of girls. Oh to be 10 again. Last night's event was a 40th birthday party out in Cedar Park. I had been to that client's house before for a shower, and they asked me back to do a bunch of hor d' eouvres and some wine pairings. It was a late night, but fun.

Chris and I are back to our remodeling after a couple months break. We are currently working on the master bathroom. Today we're going to pick out tile for the wall and floor.

Making Time For Marriage:
We have made a few drastic changes to our lives lately due to our desire to really focus on our marriage. Things have been kind of hard for awhile, mostly because of stresses from work and being over-committed in a few areas. We've decided to act instead of react. We've been reminded that our covenant marriage is of the utmost importance and that it is really worth fighting for. We feel that God has really blessed those decisions and given us extra doses of unity lately. It's been good.

You are Good - Nichole Nordeman

Have you ever heard a song that as you listened, your heart shouted,
"Thank You, Jesus!"? This is one of those for me...
(Video posted for listening purpose only! Ignore super-cheesy Christianness.)

"You Are Good"--Nicole Nordeman

When the Sun starts to rise and I open my eyes
You are Good, So Good
In the heat of the day with each stone that I lay
You are so Good

With every breath I take in
I'll tell You I'm grateful again
When the moon climbs high
before each kiss good night
You are Good

When the road starts to turn around each bend I've learned
You are good, So Good
And when somebody's hand holds me up, helps me stand
You are...So Good

With every breath I take in, I'll tell You I'm grateful again
'Cause It's more than enough just to know I am loved
and You are Good

So how can I thank You? What can I bring?
What can these poor hands lay at the feet of the King?
So I'll sing You a love song.
It's all that I have to tell You
I'm grateful for holding my life in Your hands.

When it's dark and it's cold and I can't find my soul
You are Good, So Good
When the world has gone gray and the rain's here to stay
You are STILL Good

With every breath I take in I'll tell You I'm grateful again
Though the storms they may swell, even then it is well and
You are Good

So how can I thank You? What can I bring?
What can these poor hands lay at the feet of the King?
So I'll sing You a love song.
It's all that I have to tell You
I'm grateful for holding my life in Your hands

You are holding my life in Your hands

....Does anyone want to learn to play this song so I can sing it??

I've Got a Logo!

A computer graphics friend from Purdue created several for me and I got to choose the one I liked best. This is the fun part of starting a business. :) Also, we've purchased a domain name for the website. Nothing there yet, but here it is: www.tasteandseefinedining.com.

I've created new business cards, and I'm in the midst of getting the logo and "Chef Carey" printed on a coat. It has been fun creating a more professional face. In my spare time I've been doing a lot of reading and research. Next step will be marketing myself, perhaps doing at-cost lunches for businesses to target clients, then cooking!

Psalm 34:8 "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good."

Since July 19th

- We finished the wall in our dining room. It looks great after the paneling being torn down, getting texturized, and painted. Trim still needs painted and put up.

- I've continued enjoying cooking for my client, Nikki. I prepare 9 meals for her each week and she eats on them throughout the week until I see her again the following Tuesday evening. Lots of fun. This is where my creativity flourishes.

- I had 2 interviews and accepted a part-time position as a Foodie at Central Market. I'll start mid-August.

- My family visited for a week. We really loved having them here and they are quite possibly the easiest guests we've had. We got to show them around our city, eat at our favorite restaurants, and take them to our regular hang-out spots. They also got to see me graduate and eat my food. Chris's parents came into town for my graduation, as well. And, we got to help celebrate my Dad turning 60!

- This weekend we had more company--Laura and Josh came from Dallas. Again, fun times.

6 Days and Counting...

Last weekend we finished the office and it looks great! Thanks to our talented friend, Curtis, we now have awesome red oak bookcases. Chris stained them to be the same color as our desk. 5 rooms down, 4 to go!

Marlow is recovering well from his surgery. It's just been hard keeping his activity level down when we can't exercise him yet. That boy is ready to go running again!

I've been meeting once every other week with a friend of mine who has begun to mentor me. She's a mom of 2 and has been married for 7 years. Her walk with Christ and just the wisdom God has given her is a blessing to me.

I had an interview with Central Market this week and was asked to return for a second interview. That will be set up for sometime next week. I applied for a part-time position so that I can keep my current job, which I love.

We are enjoying our garden so much. I keep forgetting to mention that. It was all planted in April and we been enjoying the fruits of our labor for a couple of weeks now. Lush tomatoes; sweet and juicy, the way they should be. We've got a TON of cherry tomatoes. They've just about taken over the entire garden, but there are also some large 3x5 tomatoes that have survived. Yum! Also, 3 different kinds of peppers; banana peppers which are almost ripe, green bell which are almost ripe, and little sweet red peppers. We've already eaten a ton of those. My weekly clients are enjoying tastes of my garden, too. I use them in my cooking often. We also have thyme, chives, and lots of basil. Having a garden is so rewarding. I'm already looking forward to planting new stuff for the fall.

The countdown is on. 6 days until my family visits! Woo hoo! We haven't seen them since Christmas. That's been one of the hardest things about moving away. I now see my parents twice a year. We go up to Indiana once and they come down once. Can't wait. Aaron is coming, too.

Our Puppy Is A Conehead

Marlow got neutered yesterday. He has to wear this cone for a week to 10 days until the stitches are healed! Not fun.

Happy July!

This week I am cooking A LOT since my boss is out of town and I am covering normal clientel by myself...but it's fun. I just have to keep organized since I'm doing parties as big as 60. And I also have to wear good shoes. Since I cook out of my own kitchen, it can seem natural to just have bare feet, but wearing comfortable shoes really helps my joints when I stand for so long.

This weekend has been all about house projects. This was the first weekend in quite awhile that Chris was in town, so he wanted to catch up on some things. We got a lot done together, but the list seems to be never-ending. I guess that's part of being a home owner. We did buy a dishwasher today, so that's a great thing, considering how many dishes I usually do when I cook. It will be delivered Wednesday. And Chris used up some gift cards to Fry's and bought a 20" flat screen monitor so he can now work from home more--or watch 24 on a bigger screen than our TV. :) I won't hate on our 19" TV/VCR combo...we've watched many movies on it. It was afterall, a prize that Chris's dad won in a golf tournament. You can't beat free.

Busy Bee

I have been working so much lately! It's been good though considering my job can be inconsistent at times. The bigger checks are always nice, even though I haven't been caught up on sleep for sometime now. My boss will be out of town all of next week, and I'm taking on 4 events and a normal client, AND I'm starting to cook for my first very own weekly client, aside from my real job. I will be cooking mostly every day all day next week, and when I'm not doing that, I'll be grocery shopping, or making deliveries out to Lakeway.

Tomorrow night I'm taking Chris out on a date to dinner at Cibo's and to see "Ratatouille."

Marlow's Half Birthday

Yesterday Marls turned 6 months. We took him to do his favoite thing...hike and swim at the Greenbelt. He had some filet mignon for dinner, and we also stopped to get him a cup of ice cream on the way home.

I Like To Recap

Quick Recap of Recent Activities:

1. Good friends, Dick and Sandi Butler, were in town last week. I met them for dinner at Z'Tejas and we got to catch up. I saw them last around Christmastime, but it always feels extra special to have friends come from Indiana. They were in Austin for a wedding.

2. Our great friend and a talented carpenter, Curtis, made us two bookshelves for our office. We are going to stain and finish them to be the same color as the desk. They look great and will be the last touches on that room! Finally to get the books off the floor!

3. Kenny Chesney concert! We tailgated beforehand with good friends, Casey and Megan, and enjoyed ourselves despite a major down pour of rain all throughout the concert. Sugarland and Taylor Swift opened!

4. We had a little dinner party last night with our Ford friends. I cooked and we ate. It was fun. They also brought their cute poodles over for Marlow to play with, and that he did.

5. I've been working a TON lately. It's either feast or famine with my job lately, and right now it's Thanksgiving.

Marlow and Chihuahua

This is the sweet face I returned to from our vacation!


And I found this while hiking on the Greenbelt this afternoon.

Hilton Head

What a week! We packed in a lot, but had plenty of time for relaxation, sleeping in, and just plain fun. We stayed at a condo with Chris's parents and his sister and her husband. (We left Marlow with friends in Austin while we were gone. We missed him a lot!)

Highlights from the trip:

- seeing wildlife; lots of crocodiles, blue herons, pelicans, seagulls, dolphins, butterflies, racoons, squirrels, and frogs
- the beach! laying out, people-watching, playing in the ocean
- visiting Ft. Jackson, where I went to Basic Training exactly 5 years ago
- fresh seafood
- watching a sunrise on the beach
- celebrating our 2nd anniversary

Lots of pictures below.

June 4th was our anniversary.

The Bonsers and Wilkersons.

On the beach.


Watching the sunrise.

In our LONG wait in the Charlotte airport.

This was the infantry division I was in while in the Army at Fort Jackson.

Goofiest picture of the century!

What a goofball!

Not Nice Glue

Now I've done some dumb things in my life, but today's event might top them all. I super-glued my hands--both of them. Here's the story: I was about to fix a pair of earrings that a stone had fallen out of (obviously fake). As I tried to squeeze the little bottle of super glue, nothing would come out, so I assumed it hadn't been opened yet. After realizing that it was open, I squeezed harder to break the dried up glue that was stuck in the opening. The glue gushed out and I tried to catch it all in my hands because I was doing this over our nice dresser--smart, I know. Luckily, the dresser is okay. My hands, however, are a bit raw. I tried soaking them in nail polish remover (has to have acetone in it) for about 15 minutes and that seemed to help, but not enough. In addition, I used my pumice stone to scrub my fingers and nails. This pryed them free from each other and I'm still working on making them look like normal, healthy hands now. This incident reminds me of a time in high school when me, Jenny, Stephanie, Michelle, and Susan all taped our fingers together for the day. Whoever could withstand it until the end of the day won. A couple of us had presentations to do, and I remember presenting a posterboard or PowerPoint with my fingers taped tightly together. Quite funny then and now. Super glue is not.

Susan Was Here

It was a great visit having Hu here this weekend. It meant so much to me that she made the time to come down to Texas. She's my first friend from back home I've had visit since we moved here nearly 2 years ago. We packed in the fun in just 3 days. Now she's off on her 'Around the World' tour in just 7 weeks!

Growing Up

Marlow is almost 5 months old. This is him this morning taking a nap...with a smile on his face.

The Guest Room Remains Full

Last weekend was a blur. I got off from work on Friday, stopped by the grocery, and when I got home I had about 30 minutes to speed around the house, picking things up before our company for the weekend arrived. It was Curtis's birthday on Friday, so we went to a steakhouse and ate dinner. The rest of the evening consisted of me prepping and cooking for Saturday night's meal, which would be his official birthday dinner. I even stayed up until 4am waiting on the créme bruleés in the oven! Such is my life. Many times I've stayed up to crazy hours of the night cooking away or going to the grocery for something last minute. But it's sort of fun. Saturday morning we went hiking on the Greenbelt again. The water was higher than I've seen it in the past, so Marlow had a good time swimming about. He's really learned to love the water.

It was a quick weekend, but we loved having our guests come. This weekend Susan will be here! Susan is one of my closest friends. We first met in kindergarten and we joke how we remember both liking New Kids on the Block. We reconnected in middle school and have been great friends ever since. She just graduated from IU in Fashion Apparel and Merchandising, and after her visit this weekend with us, she's off on her tour of a crazy amount of countries in just a few weeks around the world. She will be the first of my high school friends to come visit, so I'm looking forward to showing her our life in Texas.

Currently I am reading "Feminine Appeal" by Carolyn Mahaney...not to be mistaken with "Feminine Mystique." :) I'm only a few chapters in so far, but it's been really convicting me of thoughts and behaviors in wife hood. It's been saying things that I've needed to hear for awhile, so definitely a good thing. It reiterates the importance of mentoring and being mentored as a woman, and the entire book talks about the verse in scripture out of Titus 2:3-5. I'd recommend it.

Funny Little Guy

Outside our kitchen window this morning.

Our Puppy is Growing!

Look how big he's getting! Almost too big to hold. :( So sad.

Good Books

I have been reading a lot lately. I joined a Book Club, so that was the starting motivation in reading, but I'm hooked now and am loving it. I think this is the first time since I started college (5 years ago!) that I am finally reading for the pure pleasure of it. There was always something to read in school, especially when I was studying Education, so I didn't really have much time for extracurricular reading. Recently I've read "Cry, the Beloved Country," "Catcher in the Rye," and "The Hiding Place." I am now reading "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. Reading "The Hiding Place" really woke me up and convicted me of some things in my own life. But man, it was a good book. Here are some of my favorite quotes from it that I wrote down.

"Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do."

"But our well-meant words were useless. In front of us the proud face crumpled; Tante Jans put her hands over her eyes and began to cry. "Empty, empty!" she choked through her tears. "How can we bring anything to God? What does He care for our little tricks and trinkets?" And then we listened in disbelief as she lowered her hands and with the tears still coursing down her face, she whispered, "Dear Jesus, I thank You that we must come with empty hands. I thank You that You have done it all--all--on the Cross, and that all we need in life or death is to be sure of this."

"Our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time."

"It would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you."

"Lord, You turn the wheels of the galaxies. You know what makes the planets spin and You know what makes this watch run..."

"If God has shown me bad times ahead, that's enough for me that He knows about them. That's why He sometimes shows us things, to tell us that this too is in His hands."

"We must go everywhere. We must tell people that no pit is too deep that He is not deeper still. They will believe us because we were here."

"The truth is that God's viewpoint is sometimes different from ours--so different that we could not guess at it unless He had given us a Book which tells us such things."

"If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. We must find the way, you and I, no matter how long it takes..."

"Surely there is no more wretched sight than the human body unloved and uncared for."

"More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie."

"In darkness, God's truth shines most clear."

"There are no 'ifs' in God's Kingdom."

"And so I discovered that it is not on our own forgiveness anymore than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself."

Another Date Night

Tonight we saw Spiderman 3 and had ice cream. What a disappointment the movie was...but not the Blue Bell.

My Birthday

I had a great birthday on May 9th. Aaron and I turned 23 years old. I was actually in Atlanta for the week, but I got back yesterday afternoon. Chris had made reservations at a restaurant that was on the top of my "Must Eats" list--Aquarelle. Wow, what an amazing dinner. I would venture to say that it was the best I've ever had. I wonder if it's because I didn't have to make any of it. It's interesting eating food now that is prepared and made in just the same way that I could do it, but I am by no means an expert chef yet, so I always enjoy getting to eat out. Aquarelle serves classical French cuisine, what I studied in culinary school. It's fun to look on the menu and know exactly what every item was. We chose our appetizers and entrees before we selected our wine for the evening--a very nice bottle of Domaines Schlumberger Gewurztraminer, 2002. This particular one was a dry one from the Alsace region in France and had a particular spicy flavor with floral aromas, as well as petrol and pee...yes, it's true. But man oh man was it good with our dinner selections of a Pan Roasted Gulf Red Snapper and my Rabbit Loin with Artichokes. With an amuse bouche, demitasse, and dessert, we had a total of a 7 course dinner. I'm used to making these for other people, not actually being served. It was a GREAT gift to eat such a great dinner! Thanks, husband! :)

Also, thank you to everyone who called, emailed, text-messaged me, sent gifts, and left messages on my "wall." I felt very loved on my birthday this year.

Remodeled Guest Room

Doing the guest room was one one of my favorite projects. I think I had so much fun because I learned to be creative and make a comfortable place for our guests to stay out of little or no money at all. There are a ton of paint cans in the garage. Some were left by the previous home owners. Others are some that we have used, and I found two cans of some that we had bought that we didn't end of liking for a different room. I totally forgot about it, so it was a great surprise when I ended up liking the color for the guest room.

This was the full sized bed that we had in our queen frame ever since we got married. When we finally got a mattress to fit our bed, this one got moved to the guest room, which was perfect because we didn't have a real guest bed before. I got 4 cinder blocks for $1.20 each, and that's what it's sitting on. A dust cover takes care of hiding it though!

We had a closet full of picture frames that weren't being used (mostly mine from college and growing up), so I picked out the black ones and that's what initiated this room having black accents. In the 3 by the window, they are all photographs that my big brother took at a family reunion in Missouri. One is of my dad playing his guitar, another a close-up of a cousin playing banjo, and the other is a picture of an elderly lady's hand holding a hymnal. One of my greatest memories is getting together at the farm and playing and singing to bluegrass. I love incorporating them into the room.

The red blanket was a gift for our wedding. I just found other items to compliment it to make it a better looking bed. I made the head board (although positioned a bit high) by covering a chanvas with fabric and securing it on the back with a staple gun.

We had the shelving already, but didn't like them in the room we had originially bought them for. I found the little Singer sewing machine table on Craig's List and hunted it down.

I think the last thing to do in the guest room is to find some kind of dresser, and that will go under the single shelf. We are expecting a lot of company this summer (which we are so excited about!), so getting the guest room done was a priority. I think it's so fun to decorate a house and make it a home.

Last Night

We have gone hiking for the past several date nights we've had. I think since it's beens such nice weather outside and since we have Marlow, we just enjoy being together, doing something active, and allowing Marlow a place to run, swim, and play. It's our favorite thing to do together. This is us last night.

A Little About Me

I haven't worked much this week, but I have kept busy with my never-ending To Do list. I think that's a sign of a Type A person, for sure. I enjoy checking things off my list. It gives me a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. I like living by a schedule and love looking to see what's on the day's agenda or what is coming up in the next couple of weeks. I'm a planner, too. When people come to visit or when we take a vacation, I have a list of ideas to go, places to see, etc. I've learned that this isn't a way to help Chris enjoy vacations. He is the opposite in liking to have no plan, no agenda, no schedule. We'll see what we see and do what we do. Such open-endedness, but we've found a way to coexist and enjoy vacations together. I also like consistency. I'm fine with change, and in fact, I love spontaneity, but normally for life, I like to know what's going on and to be able to count on something consistent. I'm not really into personality tests, like the Meiers Briggs, but I do remember that I'm an ESFJ. I think that means I'm an extrovert, sensory, feelings, and judging??? You probably notice my personality even in the way that I write letters or emails or blog, even. I love bullets and paragraphs. I like to organize my literary expressions in such a way that is clear and consise as possible.

Thunder

A thunderstorm woke me up. It was so loud it sounded like it was on top of our house. I went to check on Marlow and he was really scared and shaky, so I took him to the guest room with me and layed down. (That's the bed we occasionally let Marlow on.) Chris came in to find me, which was sweet, and we listened to the rain and thunder. In its chaos, it is still somewhat peaceful to listen to. I couldn't sleep, so I just decided to get up and read a book, then it turned into checking my email, and now this. :)

This weekend we are looking forward to visiting with Matt Clinger and Andrew and Whitney Jones. They will both be in town and they're stopping by to see us. Also, for a week, we will be keeping Jackson, Marlow's friend. Jackson's parents are going on vacation, so we'll be watching him while they're out of town. Marlow will love having a companion to play with.

Next week I'll be going to a children's ministry conference in Atlanta with a team from my church. Plane ticket, hotel, and registration fees are covered, so it will be a fun mini-vacation. I'm really looking forward to getting to know some others from our huge church just a little better.

Liberate Your Legs

Will you be celebrating this year? For more info, including a radio promo, promotional flyers, and events in your area celebrating this holiday, established in 1985, visit their website.

What a Weekend

Saturday some people from my community group came over and did yard work with me. It was so helpful and great to give our yard a bit of a facelift in a day. I now have a little garden containing 4 different kinds of tomatoes, 3 different kinds of peppers, sweet basil, lavendar thyme, and chives. I'm excited to see them grow and excited to use them in my cooking.

After the work day, Marlow and I went to a picnic with some friends downtown. He had a fun time hanging out with other doggies there.

The best part of the day was Chris's return. After 30+ hours of traveling and being gone for nearly a month, he finally returned safe and sound.

Yesterday morning we went hiking with Marlow and again, Marlow LOVED playing in the water. It's so fun to see him in pure puppy mode, playing, splashing, and running about. He's so fun.

Chris's friend from college, Kara, came to visit last night for a couple of hours. We went to church together and ate dinner afterwards. It was a short visit, but nice to hang out with a fellow Hoosier.

And today has been so relaxing. I had the day off, and Chris was able to just not go into work. Maybe part of it is the gloomy day, but it was been very peaceful and slow-going, a good change for us. We found a great little donut shop and ate there for breakfast while also competing in Take Two. Chris won. Then we came back and took our pup walking. He's a sucker for love, and just likes being around us. We've just been hanging around at home today. Chris is counting down to his deadline of staying awake until 10pm. He's still getting over his jet-lag.

Treats for Tricks

This weekend I had a fun time with a few girls from my community group. We carpooled together to the retreat that met at a ranch in New Braunfels. It was a quick trip, but refreshing to meet some new faces from our church and learn about what kind of influence I can be. Here's a picture of my community group gals.
Also, Marlow has learned two new tricks. They are "speak" and he'll bark, and "jump" and he'll jump in the air for a treat. So fun to train him and see his understanding of new vocabulary grow.

Chris gets back Saturday! I've missed him a lot and can't wait to resume our lives together. :)

I start teaching my first two night classes of "Canapés, Can I Please?" next week.

Marlow & Me

For the Easter weekend, Marlow and I trekked up to Colleyville and spent it with my family on the Bonser side. He did great traveling in the car there and back--pretty much just slept the entire time in the car, just like I usually do. It was a fun get-a-way, but it is always nice to come home and get back into the normal routine. This weekend I am off to a Womens' Retreat with my church, so Marlow is going to stay with friends and their dog, Jackson. He loves playing with him.

I worked today, but not very long, so I was back in time to run to the bank and to Target on the way home. I walked Marlow and now he's sleeping, catching up on some rest before we go over to Casey and Megan's tonight for dinner.

Veronica, the girl that's been staying here, is just here for about another week long. She's been great company while Chris is away, and not a bother at all. Sometimes I make excuses for not wanting to have company over at our house since it's not remodeled yet or I think some things don't look very nice for guests, but I think I just need to get over that. Hopefully no one cares anyway when they visit us, so I shouldn't care either.

Have I mentioned how much I love my puppy?? He's growing fast and getting big.

Chef Instructor

I got a new job! I had an interview Tuesday with the Young Chefs Academy of Austin. I will be teaching adult cooking classes twice a week, developing the curriculum, recipes, menu planning, and grocery shopping. I will be working part-time so as to keep my employment as a personal chef, which I love doing. I am excited to be challenged in a new way and to finally have an outlet where my culinary skills are really needed. The first couple of classes I will be teaching are "Canapés, Can I Please?" and a cake decorarting class. This is great because I get to combine my love of teaching with culinary arts.

April Fool's Jokes

Did you have a joke played on you or did you play one on someone else? Post a comment to share it. I'd love to hear. I thought about calling Chris (he's in Singapore for work) and telling him I was pregnant, but I didn't think he'd believe me because that's not something you really tell someone over the phone.

I got fooled--by Google. Did anyone else believe the whole "Google Paper" thing? I thought it was an interesting idea, kind of dumb, but I did believe it. It gave me a laugh this morning when I learned of it's falsity.

I Call Him Tweeder Pete

I think the nickname just naturally emerged from my affectionate greetings when I walk through the door and see him awaiting me in his crate. Very different from Marlow--not even close, but he's the same dog. And sweet as ever. We had great adventures last night. Read below:

Last night Chris and Marlow and I picked up dinner and went to the Greenbelt. We've gotten a ton of rain here recently, which is very abnormal. I was afraid it'd be too wet, but the earth really soaked it up and it wasn't too bad. The closer we got to the "river," the muddier it was, but that made it more fun. We went to what is usually the dry creek bed, but it was full and people said that it was the first time it had happened in 3 years. Marlow had a blast! Other dogs were there and he got introduced to water play for the first time. He was fearless; jumping and running and falling and scraping himself. He really had a lot of fun. And boy was he muddy at the end of the night. We took him home and gave him a bath.

Here are pictures that document the fun that was had.

Us on our way to the Greenbelt...how photogenic he is.

At the creek bed. The "before" picture.

This one makes me laugh. The "after" picture. (And my good-looking husband!)

And this is from this morning...he was checking out the rainfall out the front window.

Looking to the Summer

I had the day off today...again. I'm ready for a job change, or at least a supplemental job. I need something consistent and something more full-time. I like my job, but I can't count on it for budgeting, and that's tough.

Chris leaves Friday for Singapore for a month. Veronica is staying here though, so I'm thankful for the company. I will be gone almost every weekend until his return, too, which will make the time fly. I'm planning on going to Colleyville to visit my in-laws over Easter weekend. I also have a Women's Retreat for church another weekend, working another weekend, and a Girls Night Out.

Marlow is growing. He's already learned his name, what "no" means, how to sit on command, to lay down, to stay, and we are practicing "shake." He is full of energy sometimes and I can't help but laugh at him. Last night after we got back from Community Group, Chris and I went on a late night walk with him. It was good for Marlow, I think, since he was in his kennel that night. We got him exercised so he slept well and was calm the rest of the evening.

One of my personal goals recently is to look people in the eye when I'm speaking to them. For some reason, I've noticed my discomfort with this for awhile now. I don't think this is necessarily a good thing, so I'm trying to break myself from the habit and really make eye contact.

Tomorrow night is our Date Night, and I think we'll eat dinner here, then go hiking with Marlow, maybe introduce him to water since the lake is high because of all the recent rain.

Andy and Amanda should be leaving for England sometime soon. I'm excited for them. And Michelle is engaged and about to start the wedding planning process--how fun.

Most of all I am excited for all the visitors that will come to Austin this summer:
- Kara
- Andrew and Whitney, with their new baby girl Chloe
- Curtis and Catherine, along with the Mims
- Susan over Memorial Day weekend
- Dick and Sandi
- Mom and Dad and Aaron for my graduation

I'm ready for some fun this summer. I've got a lot planned:
- Grow Up Children's Ministry Conference in Atlanta, GA
- Bonser Family Vacation to Hilton Head
- 2 concerts
- Graduation
- ACL Music Fest with my brother

Wide Awake

On Sunday I painted the guest room and made a headboard for the bed. On Monday Chris mounted the headboard. On Tuesday I worked 14 hours. On Wednesday I worked only 10. Today was my day off. I mounted 3 shelves in the guest room and begun ripping off yucky fabric from a chair that I'm going to reupholster. I went to the bank, then headed to one of my favorite stores, Hobby Lobby. I still had credit on a gift card that I got at Christmas time, and I ended up spending all but $3. Then I met a friend for Happy Hour, then came home and hung out with my two favorite boys. Tonight I cleaned and organized up until a few minutes ago. Sometimes I get in the mode where I just don't want to stop. Strange behavior, I know. I'm a rare breed. So now I'm wide awake. Chris is in bed. Marlow is sleeping on the floor next to me. I work tomorrow late into the night, but when I get home, the weekend will begin. My in-laws are coming to visit and I'm pumped. I'm also looking forward to going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, as well as taking my puppy for a walk, cooking up something yummy for the Bonser Bunch, and painting trim in the bedrooms. I feel like I am really enjoying learning to decorate and remodel on a budget. I was inspired to paint the guest room last Sunday when I was (get this...) cleaning and organizing the garage and found some extra paint that I had forgotten about. It was "mistake" paint, or paint that we had purchased that we had decided not to use for one reason or another. I took the chance and just went at it on the walls in the guest room. It looks really nice. It's a tannish color of sorts. I bought 4 cinder blocks from Home Depot for $1.20 each to raise the bed and give it a more normal height. I put on a dust cover to hide them, used a red blanket that we got with wedding money and bought a special decorative pillow I found for super cheap. I'm finding all sorts of things we already have that I'm tying into the room and it looks great so far. My motivation for doing this much is 1.) Chris's parents coming in town this weekend, and 2.) we are going to have a girl from church stay with us for 3 weeks. It will be great for me since Chris will be gone to Singapore for a month. She and I will hold down the fort, along with Marlow, for the duration that he is gone. I want to have a nice place for our guests to stay when they visit. A comfortable place with adequate amount of privacy is necessary, I think. Maybe these crazy ideas stem from a gift of hospitality. If I were to identify a couple of spiritual gifts I think I possess, they'd be the gifts of hospitality and encouragement. What are yours?

God As Our Romancer

"Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart. God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion...He knows what takes your breath away, knows what makes your heart beat faster." (Captivating)

The Latest

Since Marlow's arrival, my struggle with depression has really gotten better. I think it's simply God's blessing in giving me company, something that is happy and wagging its tail when I walk through the door. I'm not saying that Chris doesn't give me happiness. He definitely does and I adore him, but it's not having close friends yet that makes me lonely. Marlow gets me outside more, which is a good reminder that God is bigger than me. Walking Marlow is fun and a healthy activity and restful for my soul. I had gotten into the pattern of just working a lot, going to school a lot, and staying inside when I was home. It really is beautiful the world that we live in.

Tonight we are eating dinner and watching a Purdue game with our friends, Casey and Megan. Marlow is coming, too, and he'll get to meet their dog, Jackson. Last night we went out to eat at Freddie's, a local dog-friendly restaurant. Marlow was very nervous and freaked out a bit at first, but after the wait for our table, he warmed up and nestled under our table. Lots of people came up to touch him and talk to us about him, which I'm not sure helped his nerves. But he did get to try broccoli and cucumber.

The women in our community group have started a Book Club. Individually, several of us talked about how we couldn' t find one to join on the south side of Austin, so we just decided to begin our own. We plan on meeting monthly to talk and discuss each selection. This month it will be at my house. Chris is leaving again for Singapore for a month, so any social activity while he is gone is good for me. I'm looking forward to having people over. This month we are reading, "Cry, the Beloved Country," by Alan Paton.

Congratulations to my wonderful friend, Michelle Jones and her fiancé, Ryan. They got engaged yesterday in Central Park, NYC! They were there for their Spring Break and he popped the question while taking a picture of themselves on a bridge, so he got real-time pictures of it, too. Yay, I'm so happy for them!

Another book I've been reading is "Captivating," by John and Staci Eldredge. It is basically the woman's version of "Wild At Heart." It started getting good in the middle of the book. Usually, I don't get into too many Christian inspriation books. I think it's because I can't really get past the whole cheese factor of them, especially when written by a woman and for women, they sometimes make me want to gag. But I think that some of those books have good points to them, so I'm trying to get back into reading more Christian literature.

Did I mention that we went to the G-Love concert last week? I don't think I did. They were at Stubb's BBQ downtown, same place we saw Nickelcreek when we first moved here. G-Love and the Special Sauce was good. I like their music.

Family Picture

Last night we had two of Chris's co-workers from Singapore over for dinner. What a great time with them. Again, more gifts were brought to us. They enjoyed meeting Marlow, too. I hung out with a friend today and we trekked around Austin to a garden sale, then went to IKEA, then to lunch. Chris worked on the yard this morning and when I got home, there were tons of brown bags filled to the brim outside on the curb, waiting the arrival of the trash truck on Monday. Both of my boys are pooped and they are taking a nap together. This evening we are going to look for new glasses for Chris, and catch a movie with some friends. Good times.

Here's our family pic:

My Day

I feel like I have fallen in love in a whole new way. I absolutely looove my new puppy. He is so sweet and cuddly, but he also likes walks, eating sticks, leaves, bugs, and his new favorite play place, which is the ivy on the ground in our backyard. He's mastered the doggie door on the outside patio, which was left from the previous home owners. He's realizing that his name is Marlow, and last night he slept perfectly in his crate from about 11pm until 7am...we only heard him cry once! He's such a puppy because he loves to play and tackle and love on us. He really likes it when I give him leg massages. He's going to the vet for the first time tomorrow (besides his initial immunizations). We're gonna make sure he stays healthy and happy.

Congrats to my brother and sister on being Uncle Andy and Aunt Mandy!

I am officially finished with my internship for school, so now I am DONE! Graduation still awaits me in July, but I am now on the job search. I kind of want to do something temporary until the fall, then start my "real" job. I plan on sticking with my current employer for the meantime. One of the perks is that it's pretty flexible as far as my schedule goes. There are a couple of things this summer that I will need off for, so I feel like I should stick with it until after those things are over.

Chris's responsibilities at work have really increased. Several co-workers have left in the last couple of months, and more are leaving, so that means more work for Chris. Longer hours, more responsibility, late nights. Not fun, but we are learning to love each other well through these times.

We have really enjoyed hanging out with our new friends, Casey and Megan. They also went to Purdue and moved down to Austin for jobs. Casey works with Chris at AMD and Megan works for another tech company in town. They are fun people to be around. We always appreciate their company. They understand us well in the areas of feeling nostalgic for Purdue, Indiana, and family that lives a long ways away. One of my personal goals is to invest more in a friendship with Megan. I think we need each other. :)

And I have really enjoyed my Tuesdays with Jenny. That would be Jenny Kant. She's been my best friend for many years. Even though we do live miles apart, we have been talking weekly and sharing struggles, joys, and thoughts for the purpose of glorifying God all the more. We have committed to fasting together on Tuesdays and we are accountable to each other for how our our day went in our prayer time, not eating, etc. It has been a growing experience for me, but also very encouraging to know that she is doing it with me, lifting me and my family up in prayer all day long. I love her!

Meet Marlow!

We drove a little north of Waco to find our new puppy, Marlow. He's 10 weeks old today and we love him so much. He's an English Springer Spaniel. Marlow loves to play and cuddle, but he also loves to just be in the same room with us and be at our feet. We are working on the whole potty thing, but first we're trying to teach him his name. We went on our second walk ever this morning on a leash, and he did very well.