Tuesday, December 2, 2008

My First Turkey! and other happenings...

For Thanksgiving this year, Mike and I went to his parents' house to eat turkey and all that. It was good, and I was sad that we didn't have any leftovers because (obviously) they stayed at his parents' house! So I decided I was going to make my very first turkey so we could have leftovers. I didn't really follow a recipe, I just read some tips from Food Network magazine and called my mom to hear her tips, and made a beautiful turkey!

Then, three hours later, the turkey was done and beautiful and YUMMY!

Look how yummy that looks!
Mike carved it because I have never been good at carving a bird...
Our finished post-Thanksgiving dinner (I did this on Sunday, not Thursday). So pretty!

While the turkey was roasting, Mike and I put up our Christmas tree and put our few decorations up around the house! Its a little four-foot tree Mike bought me as a pre-Christmas gift two years ago, but it works great in our little apartment!


The stocking hanging up behind the tree is my stocking I have had for 19 years (from when Kelsey was born), and I love it. Its a mouse head on a stocking. Mike's stocking is still at his parents' house. I'm thinking I might bring my stocking back home this year and we could go buy new stockings for our house, that way we still have our stockings at our parents' homes... I don't know though.
The little Nativity scene under the tree is so cute - Its a VeggieTales Nativity scene, and I love it!

Mike's parents got a new kitten (well...the kitten found them) named Sophie, and she is so adorable! Mike had a blast playing with her.


I love this pic...when he was trying to kiss her, she kept swatting at his face! It was so cute.

On the way home from church on Sunday, we saw the most beautiful, CRAZY tree! This is actually two trees growing together - one inside the other! There is really just one trunk! But its a beautiful evergreen (or something...) inside with this bright red burst of color exploding from the tree! Mike also liked the yellow tree in the background. (Click on the picture to see it full size)


We also saw a car driving away from DBC that had this as the license plate...
with a older guy driving it and an older girl in the front seat! It was adorable.

We also went to Michele's wedding this past week. Michele was my boss for three years when I was a nanny for her two precious girls, Natali and Isabel. This first pic is at the reception of me and Natali (so adorable!).

This is Michele and her daughters, the flower girls! (They got married at her house, so that is the staircase)
Me with my precious baby girls! I love them so much!
Now, you may not know Mike and I work with the 1st and 2nd graders at DBC, leading worship and leading the large group drama. A few weeks ago was the end of a series we were doing with the kids, and we had a jeopardy game where the kids got to dress up two leaders of their choice. Of course Mike was chosen, and by the end of the game, this is how cute Mike looked...
I love it! How funny! It was a blast to watch.

Taryne, my best friend in Houston, drove through Dallas a couple weeks ago and we actually got to shop and have dinner at Cheesecake Factory! It was so good to see her, we had never "hung out" in Dallas before, so it was fun for her to be on "my turf" instead of hers.

And lastly, about a month ago I got in a car accident, no big deal, I just rear-ended a girl in traffic, going like 25 miles an hour, and this is my car at the scene. I just thought I would post it because I hadn't, and it was my first car accident! What was great was my rental car while it was getting fixed - a Volkswagon bug! I LOVED it!!!!! I want one so bad!!!!!

That's all for November. We are officially in December now, so I'll have more photos of graduation (on the 13th!) and other stuff later!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Scrapbook Organization

So I am a scrapbooker. If you know me, you know it is one of my favorite things to do. I have a lot of supplies, so when I scrap I have to take everything out and spread it around me on the floor (because we don't have another place for me to scrap - small apartment), and I pretty much have to take over the entire living room when I scrap. Mike doesn't mind, but I usually leave my scrap stuff out for a week or so because I will go back to it when I have a free hour, or because I will spend a whole weekend scrapping. Mike says I am like a tornado when I scrap. Here is my typical scrapping mess.


However, Mike and I decided to rearrange some stuff in our house last week to make more space, and I decided to take over the baker's rack in the dining room to create a scrapbook corner! I am so proud of my organization skills and my creative use of space! What is great about this is everything is within arm reach so I don't have to make a whirlwind of stuff around me to scrap! I've got the top of the baker's rack for scrapbooking, and everything else is organized so I can reach it when I use it!

Ta-da! I even printed these pictures and made a scrapbook page of it! I'm actually scrapbooking right now, and I thought I would share my excitement!

And I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

99 Things to Do

Ok, so I am doing this because it sounds like fun. You are supposed to bold the items that you have done, so here I go! ( I also *starred the items I want to do)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii*
5. Watched a Meteor Shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris*
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child*
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty*
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France*
20. Slept on an overnight train*
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a Lamb*
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice*
29. Seen a total eclipse*
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise*
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person*
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community*
36. Taught yourself a new language*
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person*
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David*
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt*
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa*
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person*
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris*
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie*
56. Visited the Great Wall of China*
57. Started a business*
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (well I tried, but my vein collapsed...)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp*
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial*
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square*
74. Toured the Everglades*
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London*
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person*
80. Published a book*
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem*
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House*
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life*
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby*
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Man, I've only done 39 items on this list! There are so many other things I want to do. I'm going to go back and *star the items I want to do. If you want to copy and do this, please do!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

November so far...

I don't blog as much as I would like to, but I guess that's ok because I don't really have the time (or very much interesting stuff), but this past weekend was busy! Full of stuff! So I am posting pics. We went down to Houston because our good friend Randy Turner was getting married (yay Randy!), so there are a lot of pics from his wedding on here. But they posted in a weird order, so forgive the chaos please. We went to see my mom, and realized Kelsey and Mom's hair is exactly the same length! Or at least it was, because Kelsey chopped off her hair two days ago.


In any case, it was pretty funny to see how similar they look not only in the face, but because they have the same hairstyle.
We also went over to the Turners after the wedding on Saturday night, and got to see Moose, our beloved kitty! He is the cutest thing ever! Mike played with him most of the night, and I took a ton of pics, but here is one really cute one.

On to Randy's wedding. One of the absolute best things about the wedding was getting to see Erwin and Vicki Wood. Now, most of you probably don't know them, but if you do, you know they are some of the greatest people alive. Erwin is like a grandpa to me, he is the sweetest, funniest, most passionate man, and he loves the Lord so much. He was such an important part of the WoodsEdge youth group (so long ago...) and has influenced me in so many ways. It was so good to see him because he has been battling brain cancer for some time now, and the last time I saw him was at our wedding six months ago. Since then he has steadily gotten sicker, and so it was pretty scary for me to see him as sick as he is when six months ago he was in great health (enough to come to Dallas for our wedding!). But he is so wonderful, and I love him so much.
I also got to see a couple old WoodsEdge people I haven't seen in so long! Mike Ruse (little Mike, not his dad...) and Eedee Frascella. I have the pic here of me and Mike. We were good friends way back when, and he lives in Austin now, so I haven't seen him in years!
On to pics of Randy's wedding. He married Jessica, one of the sweetest girls! She is so adorable and hilarious! These pics aren't in any order, so just enjoy as they are.

Their wedding was so beautiful! Fall colors and vibrant leaves everywhere!


Ok, this beautiful cake was made by Mrs. Turner, Randy's mom! She makes excellent cakes! She also made the cake topper to look like the arch that Randy and Jessica got married under!

This is one of my favorite people in the world - Julie Turner. We've been friends for almost 9 years, and I cannot tell you how great she is. She has always been there for me! She just got engaged like a month ago, and is getting married in March or Feb next year! Its so exciting! And I'm going to be her "matron" of honor! Pretty nifty!






This is Julie's fiance, Nathan. I love this picture of them! They are so adorable.





Ok, so the eggnog is back. Its almost Christmas, so Mike of course has to buy his eggnog. Now, eggnog disgusts me. I never grew up drinking it, and just the name of it is enough to set me off, it is just the most disgusting thing. So of course Mike tries every year to get me to taste it, and I of course have to say BLAH! But still he persists. So I guess its time for me to batten down the hatches, because for the next month and a half I'll have to endure his sneaky attempts to have me taste it.

So that's it... Maybe I'll remember to post again this month.



Billy's getting older....


It's an expected thing. We all know that we HAVE to die, unless the Lord comes back, but somehow it's painful to see loved ones getting older. I can only imagine how Franklin Graham is feeling knowing that his father is getting to the point where he no longer councils the president. Billy Graham has prayed with every president since Eisenhower. Franklin said something very appropriate...
"He's always been ready to die, but nobody's prepared for him getting old."
One of my professors wrote on this, check it out at www.markoverstreet.com

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Beginning of Fall - FINALLY!!!

I am so glad it is finally starting to feel like fall outside. I am sick of sweating as soon as I walk out the door, my car being hot as an oven, and I am getting tired of my summer clothes. Today I cleaned out our closet and put my summer clothes away and my winter clothes on hangers! Yay! I think from October-January are my favorite months. I love the cold, the holiday season, and the emotions that swirl around and wrap me in a bear hug every fall/winter.

Mike is in the living room walking around in circles. He is practicing his sermon he has to preach tomorrow in his class, "Biblical Exposition". I'm taking off school and my internship so I can go hear him preach! Its exciting for us. He's preaching over 1 Peter 1:10-16.

Its been an homemaking day for me...I organized our pantry, am currently baking two loaves of french bread (for our awesome roasted garlic soup tonight!), and I am soon going to be organizing the cabinets underneath our bathroom sink (my 'stuff' has become a chaotic mound of beauty products...Mike has been very patient with me taking over the bathroom). We also went and voted today! It was Mike's first time voting in a presidential election! I voted last time in the Bush election, and I've voted in primaries and stuff before. I have been mentally documenting (and exclaiming aloud to Mike) all the things we do "for the first time as a married couple!", and today before I could get to it, Mike grinned at me and said, "We voted today for the first time as a married couple!" It was cute. We are so married!


On that note, I am excited we are about to go through our first fall/winter/holidays as a married couple! The other night (when it got down to 40 degrees) we hadn't turned our heat on yet, so I woke up in the middle of the night freezing! I scooted back and snuggled my feet under Mike's warm feet, and my first thought was, "Being married is so great!!!!" I had never thought about it from that aspect before...having someone to snuggle when I get cold at night. Usually, when I would get cold, I would get into a ball and try and get warm on my own (instead of venturing out into the freezing air to get a blanket...) and usually end up shivering for the rest of the night. Now I won't have to do that! How great! Awesome perk of marriage.

Our house smells so good right now...I was baking the french bread at the same time that I was roasting 5 heads of garlic, and now I've got the soup simmering, so it smells like heaven! Mike and I talked today about whether or not God bakes fresh bread in heaven. Mike says that since God is the Bread of Life, He just smells like fresh baked bread all the time. How cheesy are we?!?!

Well, I've got to unload the dishwasher otherwise our kitchen will become a giant pile of dishes that will make me cry.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008



God is Good,
He is Faithful,
We ahve been praying so hard, hoping beyond what seemed possible and God is faithful.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The sorrow of my friends is my sorrow

I've been through a few really tough times in my life. I've just found out that one of my best friends is now going through something terribly similar.
I hate this feeling, like watching a car wreck knowing that
you can't do anything to help...
you can't do anything at all...
just watch like a documentary....
and hope, and pray that God would be most glorified...
and that he would do as he does...
and work a miracle...

Psalm 10.14
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Is it already September? Seriously?

So I can't believe its already September!!! The year has flown by! We have already been married more than 4 months!!! How crazy is that? Life has been wonderful, though! Interning at the Pregnancy Resource Center has been the most amazing thing ever - God is using it to draw me to Him, and to teach me how to serve with joy and to love those who are society's "unlovable". What an incredible opportunity this internship has been! I pray I'll be able to serve there (or other centers) for the rest of my life! It is that powerful and wonderful!

I've promised a pic of Mike's portrait of himself, so here it is! The finished product!

It turned out very well. I also actually got a picture of our cat, Camma - who HATES having her picture taken. She runs away every time she sees my camera or my phone poised towards her. But I was able to get a couple good shots of her today! She is so precious!


I did a Practicum Fair today for students trying to find an internship, and so I had to make a board with info on the PRC and what I do there to share with all the students who came to the practicum fair. Here is a picture of my table (its fuzzy because I didn't have my camera, I had to take this with my phone). I think a couple people were interested in finding out more about interning there, so that is cool!

I used to nanny two little girls named Natali and Isabel a couple years ago, and they were the flower girls in our wedding. Natali's 6th birthday was this weekend, so I went to her birthday party! It was so wonderful to see the girls - I love them so much, and I don't get to see them very often! Here is Natali decorating her cupcake!

Isn't she just adorable????
That is Isabel, (who is 8) stuffing her face with the cupcake - we were joking that I should show this pic to her future boyfriends!!

Nat is about to hit the pinata!


Here are both of the girls after swimming - they have beautiful smiles, but its so funny how they put on these weird "fake" smiles when asked to smile for a pic!

So those are my beautiful girls.

Mike is crazy-busy with school, he comes home and reads textbooks every single night! It sucks, but his GPA certainly shows all his hard work! He couldn't come to Natali's birthday party because he had so much studying to do - but soon he will be done! Or at least, it will be less studying soon.

Time to make some dinner - and maybe get some scrapbooking done!