A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

Weekend in Review: Through the iPhone Camera Lens

2012-01-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

I guess technically all of my "weekend in reviews" could be titled "Through the iPhone Camera Lens", but this post seemed to deserve it a little more.

The weekend started out splendidly, as do most of my weekends since I get half day Fridays. Let me tell you - they are gloooorious and make the longer hour work days M-Th all the worthwhile.

I came home, and took advantage of the beautiful San Diego weather and spent an hour reading and relaxing outside in my backyard and eating a delicious and old-school snack of cinnamon raisin toast, with butter. Nom nom nom.

Saturday started out with a bang. We met up with 2 of our friends at The Mission - our favorite downtown breakfast/brunch spot. Now that the Mr. doesn't live in downtown, it makes it slightly less convenient to get there so we jumped on the opportunity! The Mr. and his former roommate, Adam, spent the rest of the morning/afternoon packing and cleaning up their high rise apartment. Adam got deployed on Sunday, the following day, so the Mr. helped him pack up all of his things, bring them to Adam's storage unit, and get the apartment cleaned up since their lease ends at the end of this month. I helped by carrying about 2 items...and spending the rest of the time reading my magazines and books. Not very helpful, sadly, but I wanted to spend the day with my man and was bummed at the idea he was going to spend ~~his~~ our Saturday packing and cleaning all day, without me! To clear that up, it's not that I wanted to pack and clean, it's more that I wanted to be with him, in his presence. Hence, why I tagged along and hence, why he didn't expect/ask me to help work. It was a win/win.

I caught him at one point playing his electric
guitar. He was in a band in highschool called
"Saturated Phat". Phat with a PH. I love to get him
on that. :)

Saturday night, Adam, Jeff's (former) roommate, Casey (you've seen her in several of my recent posts), Jeff and I went out to dinner for Adam's last meal, prior to his deployment. We ended up eating at a restaurant in Seaport Village, and I captured a gorgeous picture of the sunset. I realize how much I take it for granted that I get to live in such a stunning and picturesque place. By the way, if ever you find yourself in San Diego, talk a walk around Seaport Village. You won't regret it.

For the most part, Sunday was a lazy day - which I find to be the best. We have somehow fallen into a Sunday ritual of hitting up the grocery store together to stock up on our weekly groceries, which is always fun. I also found myself in the waiting area of his barber shop, while he got his haircut. Imagine that happening vice versa. Yea, it wouldn't. But then again, his 15 minute haircut has nothing on my 4 hour+ hair extravaganzas.

Good thing we got our Girl Scout Cookies!

Also, whenever we get a chance, we always make time to squeeze in a little Friday Night Lights and, Tim Riggins (below). I hope you follow me on twitter, because I tweet about Tim Riggins on a ~~weekly~~ daily basis. I also hope some of you out there share my love & passion for Friday Night Lights!

Finding My Inner Chef: Pioneer Woman Style

2012-01-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

I've gone and done it again - I've cooked! I'm just as shocked by this as you are, so let's enjoy it while it lasts.

I've always loved me some Pioneer Woman. You may remember my blog post about her book (which I swooned over) here. I also have her cookbook and couldn't wait to get after it! Here is what I cooked up for the Mr. and I this week:

Chicken Spaghetti/Mexican Chicken

*One of Jeff's all time favorite dishes is a Chicken Spaghetti dish that he grew up with, which I must confess is delicious. I know my man and his ~~very limited~~ food palate. I knew when I chose this recipe that I needed to hide the actual name of the recipe from him...or else he'd come in with his mind already made up (and it wouldn't be good). I was able to keep it a secret from him until the day of. I had the top of the recipe, with the name on it, hidden under my computer on the kitchen counter. I remember coming downstairs at some point and seeing it pulled out, on top of my computer. Darn. He caught me. I had hid it from him for a few days, referring to it as Mexican Chicken, which is what Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man (her husband) calls it and I thought I had gotten away with it. Even when we went grocery shopping together, I brought the cookbook with me, and had to show him a picture in the recipe because I was confused on something, and I covered up the name (in an unobvious way) before showing him the book! Later, when I told him that, after my secret was exposed, he laughed and said he hadn't even noticed! Too bad my secret didn't last long enough. However, it didn't even matter because this dish was a hit! Both the Mr. and I loved it and later he told me that they were both his favorites! Time for a victory dance!

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chicken

3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces

2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup

2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper

1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion

1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained

2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot

1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

The Marlboro Man Sandwich
*To die for. This was amazingly delicious and I can tooootally see how it is Marlboro Man's favorite dish! The Mr. loved it too and I can pretty much guarantee you he'll be beggin' me to make it for him again soon! We ended up adding a few slices of mozzarella to the sandwich which made it even tastier, and when the Mr. made it for leftovers the next day, he added mayonnaise as well! It's great because it's completely and totally customizable by YOU!

Ingredients

1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions

2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)

2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)

Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)

1/2 cup (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco Sauce, To Taste

4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)

Directions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside. Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides. Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine. Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet. To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

Pam's Simple, Scrumptious Caesar Salad

*I made this to go along with the Marlboro Man Sandwich and it was perrrfect! I am still giddy over thinking about this dish. I snacked on it the next 3 days...and the best part is, you eat it with your hands!!

Ingredients

Garlic Croutons

4 cloves garlic

A generous 1/4 cup pure olive oil

2 packed cups 3/4" bread cubes, cut from a good-quality baguette or Italian loaf

Large pinch of salt

Salad

3 romaine hearts, separated into whole leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire

5 tablespoons pure olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat a 10-inch skillet over low heat. With motor running, drop garlic cloves through feeder tube of a food processor fitted with the steel blade to mince. (A blender works as well.) Scrape down sides of bowl and add olive oil through feeder tube as well. Continue to process so that garlic releases its flavor into the oil, about 30 seconds. Strain garlic from oil through a fine-mesh strainer; reserve half of the garlic for dressing. Increase skillet heat to medium. Place bread cubes in medium bowl. Drizzle garlic oil evenly over bread, along with big pinch of salt; toss to coat. Add bread cubes to hot skillet and toast, turning the cubes and shaking the pan often, until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Return croutons to bowl and set aside to cool while preparing salad. Place lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Whisk lemon juice, mayonnaise, half the reserved garlic, and Worcestershire in a small bowl. Drizzle lettuce with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss lightly and carefully. (Clean hands work well.) Drizzle lemon mixture over lettuce; toss again. Sprinkle Parmesan over greens; toss again. Sprinkle croutons over the salad; toss and serve, sprinkling each portion with a little more Parmesan cheese.

Deep Dish Fruit Pizza

*Yum. I am pretty positive that most of us have, if not made fruit pizza before then at least experienced it. If not, then believe me when I tell you this - you're missing out! It had been too long since I've been around a fruit pizza, and I knew I had to change that. This dish brings up so many fun memories in my life, mainly revolving around college and one of my all time college besties and roommates, THE one and only, Bernadette Byars. This was HER dish and I swear, there may have been a period of time when she made it on a weekly basis. So, I guess I can thank Bernie for my college 30? Eek. Also, what made Bernie's fruit pizza's so special was that she always made them patriotic: red, white, and blue. And, even turned it into the American flag one 4th of July! Personally, I have to say that her fruit pizza is still my numba 1 fave, but, Pioneer Woman's was a close second!

I really wanted to put kiwi's on it but there were
none to be found at my grocery!

Ingredients

1-1/3 cup Shortening (may Substitute Butter)

1-1/2 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Orange Zest

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 whole Eggs

8 teaspoons Whole Milk

4 cups All-purpose Flour

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 jars (13 Ounces Each) Marshmallow Creme

2 packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese

Peaches

Kiwi Fruit

Blueberries

Pears

Raspberries

Other Fruit Optional

Directions

Cream shortening (or butter), sugar, orange peel, and vanilla thoroughly. Add in eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and mix. Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture. Slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper, then refrigerate for one hour (or freeze for 20 minutes). Press dough into a sheet cake pan OR divide the dough in half and roll each half into a large round, then transfer to pizza pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookie dough is cooked and golden brown, but not overly crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip together marshmallow creme and cream cheese until light. Spread onto cooled "pizza" crust, then decorate the top generously with sliced fruit. Slice into squares or wedges and serve.

*All of these "food photos" were taken by yours truly. Hence, the lack of perfection. I am amazed at how the professionals are able to make their food look so wonderful and mine looks so ordinary when we're making the same thing! At least both people's end results taste good!

Weekend in Review: R&R.

2012-01-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, all you need is a little rest & relaxation. OR, just the liberty to do whatever you want. Those are the kind of weekends I like!

Friday was date night. Mr. G didn't get home from work until after 6 (which is late to me!) and we headed out to dinner soon after. We were supposed to go to one of my "trendy places" but I ended up not being super hungry so I let Mr. G pick. Guess where we went? The All American Mexican - On The Border. And it was mmm mmm good.

Jeffrey was so tired that he ended up falling asleep on the couch at 8:45 on Friday night! Yes, we're already THAT couple. ~~Really cool.~~ This is what I ended up doing with myself.... ~~Really really cool.~~

Isn't it refreshing that I don't post only "perfect" pictures of myself? Enjoy!

Saturday, me and two of my other Navy wife friends met up at Lyndsey's house (far right) and headed off to sushi and pedi's. As you may recall from a previous post, Lyndsey is the one whose husband is currently deployed and she's pregnant with a little boy! Don't worry folks, she didn't eat raw sushi!

Mr. G and I went for a walk to our local gas station to hit up the 44 oz sodas. It's times like these that I really really really miss Sonic Happy Hour. Anyone? Anyone?

If you know me, you know that I have a passion and love for magazines (and lipgloss). Unfortunately, I don't get to read them very much...so, I enjoyed my down time and took advantage of these two!

I hope you all had a joyous weekend too!! Thank goodness another one is only a few days away! I live for my weekends, don't you?! :)

Recent Reads: The Sugar Queen.

2012-01-23T04:30:00.000-08:00

The Sugar Queen

By Sarah Addison Allen

I chose this book because I was craving a winter read. It seemed too enchanting to pass up so I bought it and immediately immersed myself in it. It was a delectable and magical book - one in which you want to be curled up in front of the fire with a hot cocoa in hand! This book represents a world where things are not quite as they seem. It's sweet, charming and bewitching and I would not only recommend this book to others, but I'd also recommend this author!

Here is a snippet of the description taken from the back of the book. I think you'll understand why I was drawn to this book after reading it:

Author Sarah Addison Allen tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets --- and secret passions --- are about to change her life forever.

Twenty-seven-year old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night...Until she finds it harboring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tenderhearted woman who is one part nemesis --- and two parts fairy godmother...

After having read this book, I found it so endearing and enjoyable that I knew I'd want to read Sarah Addison Allen's other books. Luckily, when I bought this book, I also bought one of her others, The Girl Who Chased the Moon. At this point, The Sugar Queen is the only book of hers that I've read but somehow, over the past month, I've accumulated all of her other books and I clearly have serious plans of reading them! :) Next on my list of hers to read is Garden Spells, which was her first book. Apparently, it had even better reviews than The Sugar Queen so I'm looking forward to reading it!

Other books by Sarah Addison Allen:

Garden Spells
The Sugar Queen
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
The Peach Keeper

Finding My Inner Chef: Paula Deen Style

2012-01-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

So, I've never been much of a cook. I guess you could say it doesn't come naturally and I also just don't have much experience with it. However, after living with sweet G in Houston, she got my cooking and hosting juices stirring. We'd have many a conversation about food, cooking and preparing and she gave me plenty of pointers and tips. I miss those conversations and I'm sure I'll make sure they happen more often. :) Once I moved to San Diego, I knew my life would be taking on quite a different pace then it was in Houston, ie. much slower. I committed to wanting to cook something for myself and/or others at least once a week. Sadly, I cannot say it necessarily happened that way, but I did cook and bake more than ever before - and I actually enjoyed it!

Now that I'm married, I decided I needed to step it up even more. However, I must say that the first 2 weeks of marriage - post honeymoon - anytime we weren't eating out, it was Jeffrey that was cooking the dinner. Isn't that nice? I thought so too. However, on Thursday of last week I had a "I'm failing you as a wife" moment and told him I was going to step up my game. Hence, the hours of meal planning and grocery list writing (4 times) to prepare it in such a way that would be easy for him since HE did the grocery shopping for us on MLK Jr holiday while I was at work and he had the day off. Don't mind me, I just had to brag a little. I'm hoping that over time, I'll get a little better at the meal planning, grocery list writing and, "wifing up" - but at the end of the day, I'm still me and that's what makes life fun.

Here's what we had this week:

Paula Deen's Brooke's Homemade Meatloaf
*I saw this recipe on one of her "Paula Deen's Best Dishes" episodes and knew that I had to make it immediately. It was a success and we both liked it - I'll definitely be making it again! I also made green beans as the side.

Ingredients

Glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

Meatloaf:
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 large eggs
1 slice white bread, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the glaze ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the meatloaf ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush some of the glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Bake for 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn the meatloaf out onto a serving platter and spoon the remaining glaze over the top before serving.

Easy Barbecued Ribs

*I saw this recipe on pinterest and thought I'd give it a whirl. It's a crockpot recipe which made cooking a bit easier since a lot of the cooking was done while I was at work. This might have been our favorite meal of the week - it was extremely tasty and Jeff's final words were, "My favorite California barbeque is Annie's barbeque". It meant a lot coming from him since, as I mentioned in a previous post, we've been on a mission for some good bbq out here in California!

Ingredients - Full recipe quantities are in parenthesis

1.5 tbsp sweet paprika (3tbsp)

1 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed (2 tbsp)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)

S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)

2 lbs pork (baby) back ribs (6 lbs) - leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together

1 cup barbecue sauce (3 cups)

Vegetable oil spray.

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P. Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well. Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (mine cooked for 9 hours since that's how long I was gone from work and they still came out tasty).

Now comes the only stove/oven work involved, we need to reduce the sauce and then brown the ribs under the broiler. These steps are what turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, so don't you dare skip them even if your ribs already look pretty good. Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on, bone side up. Set to the side. Skim any fat that has risen to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes. Put your oven's broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element. When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice to baste with more sauce. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

Paula Deen's Moist and Easy Cornbread

*I made this as one of the sides, along with baked beans, to go with the ribs. I felt really official homemaking my cornbread rather than using cornbread mix. It was yums!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for baking dish

1 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Paula Deen's Toffee Gooey Butter Cake
*I saw this recipe on her "Paula's Best Dishes" and it was featured on the same episode as the meatloaf. I made this and we snacked on it for dessert throughout the week. It was yumsicle! I'm definitely making it again and maybe one of you will be lucky enough to try it! :)

Ingredients

Cake:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (18.2- ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup toffee bits

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula. Pour the filling over the cake mixture and spread it evenly. Bake until the center is just a little bit gooey, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

Pulled Pork Tacos

*This is one of the recipes I cooked after my move to San Diego. I got it from my sorority sister & friend from college's, Shelby, blog. This was my second time to cook it and I loved it just as much as the first time! It's another fabulous recipe and I think it could possibly become a regular in the Gritzy household.

Ingredients

2 - 2.5 lb pork tenderloin

1/2 white onion slices thin

1 c BBQ sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

salt & pepper

Directions

Sprinkle tenderloin liberally with pepper and sparingly with salt. Place tenderloins in a slow cooker. Combine onions, BBQ sauce and garlic then pour over tenderloin. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-9 hours.

Using two forks shred the meat and place in a large bowl with remaining liquid. Toss to combine.

Shelby's tips: I usually slice some avocado, add some corn and squeeze a lime on top. Now, let me tell you about the special tortillas featured above. This is a little trick we just learned from a friend and I think it takes this meal to an entire new level. Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a skillet on high, place your flour tortilla in the skillet for 30 seconds then flip. 30 seconds on the other side. Pull the tortilla out and it will be a bit crunchier, but still moldable and make them into little shells. It's the best :)

One month Anniversary Wedding Cake Toppers
*Jeffrey ~~will~~ should be deployed on our 1 year anniversary (along with Thanksgiving, Christmas and potentially my birthday...wah wah wah). One of the things Jeff's parents brought with them this past weekend was our cake toppers. Since they had gone from storage in the freezer to traveling for 3 days in a cooler in a car, we didn't know what state the cake would be in. They recommended we celebrate our 1 month wedding anniversary by eating our cake toppers since Jeffrey may not even be around for our 1 year. We thought that was a swell idea, and so we dove in!

*I used the original photos from the recipe source(s), and they can be found by accessing the hyperlink for each recipe. The toffee gooey butter cake & wedding cake photos were my personal pictures.

Recent Reads: Jemima J.

2012-01-16T04:05:00.000-08:00

Jemima J: A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans

By Jane Green

I read this book over Thanksgiving break. I needed a means of escaping from all that was wedding, so I stuck my nose in this and it helped! It was a really cute, fun and lighthearted book to read, but not necessarily the most believable. Although I was tickled by the book, it's important to recognize that it's not the most realistic and can run a little long at times.

Jane Green, being British, writes British-fiction. I love reading British and European books, so it's already off to a positive start anytime I find books in those fields! Her themes throughout this book are about body size, social acceptability and that beauty isn't everything.

What sparked my interest in the book was when I read this description on the back cover, "Jemima J is the chronicle of one woman's quest to become the woman she's always wanted to be, learning along the way a host of lessons about attraction, addiction, the meaning of true love, and, ultimately, who she really is".

Jemima, who is about 100 pounds overweight, is treated differently, in a negative manner, based on her size and appearance. She is looked down upon, ignored, cast aside and taken advantage of - all because of how she looks. While the gorgeously perfect people are making it big around her, Jemima is left in the dust despite her capabilities and over-qualifications. This is the story about how Jemima overcomes these hardships and finds inspiration and motivation to change her life.

Although, as I mentioned earlier, it's not always believable, I found the book to be relatable on several different levels. As a female, whether it makes sense or not, we've all struggled with our weight at one time or another. I felt like I could relate to Jemima with some of the feelings and struggles she went through in the book. As long as you take it for what it is, chic-lit (not to be taken too seriously), and can get past the stereotypes that are issued throughout the book, I think you'll find it enjoyable too!

“A brilliantly funny novel about something close to every woman’s heart — her stomach.” –Woman’s Own

This Weekend with the Gruetzmacher's!

2012-01-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

Jeff's parents are coming to visit this weekend - and this is great for 2 reasons:

1. It will be great to see family again! The only "withdrawal" I've had after the wedding was not having a planned trip back "home" to see family/friends. Ever since I moved to San Diego in March of 2011, I've had planned trips back home to look forward to! What with the wedding and all, I was spoiled and had A LOT of planned trips back home. I knew, once the wedding was over, I wouldn't be one of those brides that had "wedding day withdrawals" (nope, not for me). I knew my withdrawals would come from not having a planned trip back home to look forward to in my future and not knowing when I'm going to see my friends next! :( So sad. At least my parents come out here often so I'm not suffering from a lack of seeing my parents!
2. They are driving up with all of our wedding stuff! Any wedding gifts that we received at showers in Texas or that were brought to the wedding, we will now have in our possession! They were so generous to offer to help us out in this way!

We're really excited and it should be such a fun time! My first official family hang out with the Gruetzmacher's, AS A GRUETZMACHER! :) E-dog, you will be missed!!

Weekend in Review: Friends Are Good for the Soul

2012-01-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey and I had ourselves a great weekend after our first week back to work. We started out the weekend with zero plans...but of course, Friday at around 5, it managed to fill up quickly!

Friday:

Friday night, Jeff and I got a call from our friends Lyndsey and Spencer. Spencer found out last week that he was getting deployed sooner than expected (he wasn't supposed to leave until February), so they ended their Christmas break in Kansas City early and raced home to get ready. We all went to dinner on Friday, and Spencer left on Sunday. Spencer is our first friend from Jeff's MH-60R (the type of helicopter they fly, Romeos) class who is getting deployed. Spencer and Lyndsey are also our first military couple friends who are expecting a baby! Baby boy Coday is due in the spring, so we hope Spencer is home before he is born! It was a bittersweet night, but it was fun to be with friends again! This was our first "social" hang out since we've been married, so it was kind of a big deal. :) We went to a Hibachi Grill called Fuji in Mission Valley - it was mighty tasty.

Saturday:

Pacific Beach Fish Shop - one of my favorite places in San Diego.

On Saturday, while Jeff was cleaning up his loft in downtown, ~~thank goodness he let me off the hook~~, I met up with some of my work girlfriends at PB Fish Shop for several hours. We had ourselves a good time, had some good grub, and shared lots of laughter. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I snapped!

Sunday:

Jeffrey and I hit up one of our favorite spots - Torrey Pines State Reserve. We just don't get here often enough, so we made sure to find some time to squeeze it in this weekend. As you can see based on the pictures below, it was a beautiful day! Aren't all days in San Diego beautiful though? Yes. We finished our adventure off by eating at BBQ Republic. Jeff and I have been on a mission, which was flopping, to find some decent bbq in San Diego. Finally, a co-worker took me here several weeks ago and I had my first California bbq a-ha moment. I couldn't wait to take Jeff to it to see what he thought. He liked it - score!! You have to go in open minded however, because it isn't a Texas bbq style buffet joint. It's no Rudy's, CJ's, or Goode Co...but it's still yummy in the tummy.

And of course, we finished off the night with some good ole Friday Night Lights and Tim Riggins. :)

Happy 2012!

2012-01-08T18:57:00.001-08:00

Thank the Lord that my 2011 not only ended well, thanks to a great wedding, marriage and the start of my future with Mr. G, but that 2012 has started well too!

The year 2011, although great, was still incredibly hard and full of struggles and changes. I remember there was a point when I sat down and thought about everything that had happened to me, or all that had changed, in even less than 6 months' time! It's absolutely nuts and absurd to think about it all, but I can say that I'm proud of how I overcame the challenges that I was presented with, and I'm just going to go ahead and give myself a pat on the back, if you will. It was tough...but it was good, and necessary, and I'm exactly where I need to be and where God wants me!

On Friday, I was officially promoted to Regional Account Manager at work. My job and role has changed at work several times since I've worked at the company in March, and to say it's been a smooth and easy process would be a lie. I'm not going to get into the nitty and gritty, but some of you know what I'm talking about. :)

Anyways, in mid-October I transitioned into this new group/team that I'm a part of now, and it's probably been the best thing that's happened to me since I've been at TargetSolutions. I am a part of an incredible and supportive team and I get to work with several of my closest friends at work, which might be the best part! We have ourselves a good time.

You can see my territory that I manage- in blue - on the map below. I work with all of our clients and sales representatives in that area - it's going to be a hefty job. :) I sure do love that I get to have Texas as part of my territory, and I hope this means a few work trips to my home state in the future!

Annnnnd, I'm Married!

2012-01-02T20:39:00.001-08:00

It's crazy, but Jeffrey and I have been married now for 15 days! As he just now pointed out to me, "that's half a month"! Although we still have a lifetime together, we sure are proud of our 15 days!

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind, to say the least. But they've been amazingly special and monumental!

As a quick recap, here's what we've been up to:

We had an awesome Photobooth at the wedding, but sadly, Jeffrey and I barely used it!
Here are the two strips that we got with each other!

December 18th, 2011 - I became a Mrs. Gruetzmacher (pronounced Grits-mahker). You can call me Mrs G. for short. :)
December 19th, 2011 - We departed for our 7 day & 7 night honeymoon to the greatest place in America: Jackson, Wyoming. Three plane rides and 2 layovers later, we made it, and boy were we glad! We had the best time, and loved every minute of it! Jackson...we will be back!
December 27th, 2011 - Spent 4+ hours opening wedding presents. We have the most loving and giving family and friends, we truly are blessed! Then, we had ourselves a little dinner and movie date-night-out! Loved it.
December 28th, 2011 - Made a special trip to the Social Security office and made ourselves some new and, quite special, friends. One thing I can say about that is: If you've ever been to the DPS, the SS office is filled with much more interesting and unique people. One woman was there asking for a Social Security raise. She was unemployed and living on 5th street, to be exact. Hmm. Another woman, sitting several rows in front of us, was talking in such a raised voice to the gentleman next to her for 45 minutes that everyone benefitted from her story telling. Jeff and I were two of those people, and we heard her entire life story - about her 3 DUI's, her stories about getting hit on by guys, her motorcycle wreck(s) that left her in the ER, and much...much...more. What's even more strange is that she fell asleep, in the Social Security office. To say the least, it's a sad place. Fortunately for us, we have started the process of my transition from Lukefahr to Gruetzmacher!
December 29th, 2011-December 30th, 2011 - Jeffrey and I were consumed with house hunting, meeting with the realtor, and doing all that fun stuff.
December 31st, 2011 - Jeffrey had the alarm set so we could get up, showered and dressed in our maroon (seriously...he always asks me what outfit I'm going to wear before these games) so that we could cheer on our Aggies for the Texas bowl! Praise the Lord we won. This was the first year in a long time that I wasn't at the bowl game...and of course, it was the first year that it was in Houston..what are the odds? Anyways, I missed my girls, but I liked watching it with my man! I prepared us a nice little breakfast casserole with fruit and mimosas to go with! As far as NYE goes, we had a few house appointments later on that afternoon and then on our way to dinner, we conveniently enough got reversed into (while entering the freeway) by a "provisional driver". After we pulled over, Jeffrey got out to deal with the situation. What's the first thing any man does? - Check the damage on the car. It was so cute - he probably checked it about 18 times. After exchanging info, the woman saw his Texas plates. She asked him if he was from Texas and after replying "yes", she responded by saying he seemed like he was from Texas because of how well he handled the situation and how kind he was! Gotta love my man and GOT.TO.LOVE my Texas! What else did we do that night? Pretty sure we were passed out asleep by 11:00. My, how much has changed!!

We brought home a recipe book from Jackson Hole, and cooked up a breakfast casserole from it! It was delish!
P.S. Eating on paper plates makes clean up SO much easier. It's worth it sometimes. :)

I had to sneak most of these pictures because I knew he would be mortified if he knew I was taking them. I wish you could have seen the front of his outfit. He's the cutest. Basically, a long sleeve maroon A&M t-shirt with a short sleeve maroon A&M coach's polo and then maroon A&M pants and a white A&M hat.
P.S. Excuse the mess - still unpacking, getting organized, and as you can see, wedding things are still out (ie. the Crane invitation boxes)!

Our time back at home has pretty much consisted of organizing our lives, cleaning, unpacking, dealing with the last of the wedding responsibilities, transitioning from a Lukefahr to a Gruetzmacher (legally, financially, etc), trying to officially be qualified as a military wife (difficult process), and mentally preparing for "reality". Which means, back to work for both of us on January 3rd! I hope we survive it...because it sure has been fun just spending these past few days with each other!

OH, AND, HOW CAN I FORGET to mention our new couple show and obsession: Friday Night Lights! Prior to marriage, Jeffrey and I discussed what "our tv show together" would be. This is absolutely crucial for every soon to be married couple. Friday Night Lights it was, and we've already finished the first two seasons! Last night, we ordered online the other 4 seasons and they should arrive this week! We cannot wait!

The Weekend in Pictures

2011-12-07T04:30:00.000-08:00

My mom came out to San Diego on Friday and will be here through the week. We sure had ourselves a great time, but I sure do miss Jeffrey! Enjoy some of the photos taken throughout the weekend! xoxo.

12 Days.

2011-12-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey and I will be getting married in 12 days. I cannot believe it! I'll finally be able to call him my hubs, and he'll finally stop calling me his fiance in a ~~terrible~~ French accent. It is so funny, but he cannot say the word "fiance" in a normal tone of voice. Well, I guess he can sometimes. :)

Too cute.

Anyways, I'm getting the first real taste of military-dom right now, meaning that I'm experiencing a tiny taste of what it's like to have your man away and to not be able to communicate with him or access him. Jeffrey left on Friday morning for SERE school and gets back Thursday evening. SERE stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape and is part of his training in the Navy. Here is an "official" description I found "The SERE/Terrorism Counteraction Department teaches courses in two areas - courses designed to help military personnel avoid capture or exploitation by the enemy, and

courses designed to make military and civilian students more aware of terrorism and protective measures against it". In layman's terms (or how I explain it to myself and others) he's getting experience in a POW (prisoner of war) type environment, so that if he were ever to be captured and made a POW, he would know what to do, how to respond, etc. Basically, it's not a pretty experience. They have to survive in the wilderness (in the desert...in the winter...in 30 degree weather...with nothing) until they get captured...and, well...you can only imagine what happens next.

When some of my military wife friends found out he was going to get finished with SERE school 8 days before the wedding, they awkwardly laughed and....let's just say it was a funny experience. Basically, they felt sorry for me and warned me that there is no telling what shape he will be in.

8 days before the wedding and my man's going to be beat up, tortured and who knows what else!

Want to know what has been such a blessing though? I have been so at peace about everything. It's been a constant outpouring of peace and comfort in which I recognize I have no control in this situation. Such a God thing, thank You! Don't get me wrong, I think and pray about him often and don't know HOW he does it, and my heart saddens for him and the possibilities of what's happening to him, even as I type. But this is what he's training for, and although he knows it's not ideal, and it's going to "suck", he knows it's something he has to get through. And get through it he will.

God Bless America, and Bless our Troops. I am so thankful to be entering into a life with someone who so passionately stands for something, and who is willing to sacrifice his life for our country. Bless Jeff for believing in what he's doing...because many of us 9-5ers may not feel the same way. Eek.

This is going to sound funny, seeing as we're engaged to be married, but throughout these past few days, I have realized how crucial of an element he is to my life and how I depend on him. It was weird the first few days because something would happen and I'd reach for my phone to text or call him and put it back down, realizing I couldn't. I have to say that I think there are few people in relationships and marriages who can say they've been in situations where their significant other was unreachable for long periods of time, and this will become of a norm for me at times. It's certainly an eye opening experience, especially when you're planning a wedding and it's down to the last 2 weeks and they've just up and disappeared on you!!! Come on Jeffrey, I need you to tell me what kind of napkins you want, the white, eggshell white, or ivory white...no, TOTALLY kidding. I'm beyond over wedding planning, and was basically over it about the first day I stepped into it. Just let me be married! :)

I certainly do miss him! He comes home on Thursday afternoon and already warned me he's going to need sleep, and lots of it! So I won't see him until Friday, but I'll be such a happy girl when I do!

Pray for Jeffrey and SERE school...poor guy.

12 days...12 days..

SERE school description found here.

Remember When..

2011-12-05T14:57:00.001-08:00

Remember when I did this post about the honeymoon plans and promised the "funny story" - well I'm here to share it! Unfortunately for you, I'm not a good story teller, and I missed the punch line by not putting it into the honeymoon post...However, it's just such a typical Annie story that I just had to share it!

As mentioned in the post, Jeff and I had to determine during our engagement if we wanted a "hot weathered" honeymoon or a "cold weathered" one. Once we decided on cold weather, we were trying to determine where to! We were all over the place in destinations, including: New York (not NYC), Colorado, Wyoming and Canada. We did our research and came up with our own places, activities, lodging etc. I was mainly leaning towards Canada and going to Banff, Whistler, Vancouver, Quebec City..one or two of those destinations. He was leaning towards Jackson Hole, WY (I wasn't as inspired with Jackson Hole at the time because I was underwhelmed in the lack of research and findings we were able to come up with for it, which led me to not be as excited about it).

Like I said, I was pretty set on Canada - it just seemed like everything I wanted and dreamed of and had all of the activities I was looking for! He knew this, so I'm sure it would have worked out in my favor.... :) Too bad for me though because one day, a month before the wedding, after we had made more progress in honeymoon plans and Jeff was getting closer to finding out if he was going to be able to get vacation time or not, I came home and told my mom (who was in town at the time) all about our most recent honeymoon updates. She was getting all excited and participating in conversation (all about Canada locations of course) until, at the very end, at least a good 45 minutes later, she stops and says, all while crushing my dreams at the same time, "Wait. Your Passport is expired...."

Yep. Good ole procrastinator Ann let her Passport expire and waited quite a while before dealing with it (clearly, I still didn't deal with it). Therefore, I couldn't go to Canada because I wasn't going to deal with getting a new Passport (which is difficult regardless of my short time frame) in my last month of engagement, only to change my name and have to get an all new one.

No, no. That is just too much!

So, that's the story. Kind of funny, because I don't think I would have thought about not having a Passport until Jeff and I were at the airport and we realized I couldn't go through customs. Uh. Oh.

Thank goodness for moms! And, thank goodness for Jackson Hole, because I'm really excited about it!

Woohoo! Only a few days away now....!!!!!!!! BAH!

Kid Eats!

2011-12-05T08:28:00.001-08:00

Hi!

My sister in law, Lauren, and her friend Kim recently started a new blog: www.KidEats.co, and I wanted to share it with you.

This has been something Lauren has wanted to do for awhile now and something she has worked on for months- it's a great way to not only peak into her life, but also if any of you have children or are soon to be mom's, a great way to gain ideas for food, activities, etc. As Lauren said, "the blog is our place to share our favorite ideas – everything from recipes to 'brain food' activities".

Enjoy it, it's adorable! Because anything involving my nephew is adorable, let's just be honest.

An Update on Honeymooning!

2011-11-14T12:57:00.001-08:00

Okay, wow. I haven't been on here since September 20th. That is no bueno. I'm full of broken promises, but I truly have the best of intentions in wanting to update my blog! My sincerest apologies to my reader(s). :)

Now for the good stuff! You may remember a post I did titled "Honeymooning, Anyone?" where I was enlisting your help for honeymoon ideas and locations. Snow and cold or sand and hot? Well I am happy to report that as of YESTERDAY Jeff and I have official honeymoon plans! And....we chose snow and cold!

We are going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and we couldn't be more excited! After booking the trip yesterday, the reality hit and I was jumping around, giddy with excitement! Jeff was very excited himself, but he shows it in different ways rather than jumping around! :) We couldn't stop talking about it all day - we are PUMPED about our first major trip together!

*courtesy of Jacksonholelocale.com

*courtesy of jacksonholeflyfishingtrips.com

We've only gone so far as booking our hotel arrangements and discussing our activities for the honeymoon - but in my mind, we're there! Jeff will be buying the plane tickets this week (Tuesday to be exact...we were hoping for some better deals....fingers crossed)!

We were having a rough time finding places to stay in Jackson Hole that we were really excited about. Jeff mentioned to me ~~right as I was about to give up~~ that he thought I'd be happier staying in the city, where the "fun restaurants and cute shops" were. It pleases me so to know that my future hubs knows me so well. I hadn't even thought about that, and he was exactly right. Through his research, he found out that there are 3 distinct places/areas in what we know as "Jackson Hole": The Town of Jackson, Teton Village, or in between the town and village. Each option has it's own perks and benefits, depending on what you're wanting. The website he gathered that information from also had a phone number listed for Jackson Hole Central Reservations where they would help us figure out the best option based on our preferences. We decided to call that number to get more help, advice, and direction in what the best place for us would be. The girl we spoke with was so incredibly helpful and gave us great information, including the hotel we decided to stay at! Once she found out we were honeymooners, she gave us 3 different options that were really popular with the honeymooners where it was more private and exclusive. Who knew so many people honeymooned in Jackson Hole? I thought we were the only ones! We finally made our decision, made our reservation - and here we are!

I am so excited about the boutique hotel we're staying in! It's called the White Buffalo Club and it's in the Town of Jackson (downtown Jackson). We got a great suite with a fireplace in both the room and balcony!

Once we had made our decision that we wanted a cold honeymoon destination a few months ago, the activities of what I wanted to do kept flying through my head! Jeff knew he wanted to ski, and I knew I didn't want skiing to be the focal point of our honeymoon. I didn't want a "ski trip" honeymoon. Once we found out we could be gone for longer than just a few days, I okayed the skiing as long as we were there for a decent amount of time. The problem with skiing is that this will be Jeff's first time. The poor guy doesn't know what he's in for. He's going to be sore, frustrated, and certainly not going to want to be touched after a hard day of skiing! Not my idea of a honeymoon if you ask me. I wanted to be sure the word "relaxing" was still incorporated. However, I know it will be so fun, we will laugh a lot, and I'll have enough time to get my relaxation and other activities on! Couldn't be more excited!!

Activities we plan on doing:

Skiing

Sleigh Ride

Spa Day

Snowmobiling

Snowshoeing

Dog Sledding

National Park Tour (Yellowstone Safari!)

Snow Tubing

Sightseeing

And I'm sure the list will continue....!

I am so excited to have an update on this situation and I'm just ready to honeymoon. I am so thankful that everything worked out and so thrilled that we get to go on a honeymoon! Thanks to the Navy for letting Jeff off for both the wedding and honeymoon!!

Also, I have a funny "Annie-ism" that lead up to this final honeymoon decision and I'll blog about it tomorrow or later this week (I promise)! I know you will get a chuckle out of it!

Tis The Season..

2011-09-20T17:41:00.002-07:00

Something I have noticed lately among my age group of peers is that Tis the Season to get engaged. I feel like ~~every day~~ every week I'm somehow being notified of yet another engagement among 23-26 year olds that I'm friends with. I just got on Facebook tonight and saw that one of my friends from high school got engaged - it's crazy! There must be something in the water! That, or we're at that "age" now where this is normal and happening all the time! It's such an exciting time as an already engaged person to know what that means and to know what's in store for the newly engaged couple! It's funny because when I got engaged, I felt like I/we was so unique in my new endeavors as a newly engaged woman and that the journey Jeffrey and I were embarking on was such a big deal and unlike any other. Don't get me wrong, I know marriage and engagements ARE a very big deal but you forget how "normal" it is. Most people get married at least once in their lives and although people have different experiences during their engagement and marriage, it's definitely a common thing. Jeff and I are not the only ones to be in this position and to be experiencing what we're experiencing, and as special as it is to US and as loved as we have felt by so many throughout this process, we aren't any more special than the next engaged couple. Especially when they are ALL around you! It's humbling to be reminded of that. :)

The Hunger Games: A Trilogy.

2011-09-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know, I've been doing a lot of book posts as of late. But I can't help it! Numba 1, I love reading and have been doing a lot of it lately and Numba 2, book posts are a lot easier and faster to post about than updating on my current life happenings. So enjoy another book post, y'all! :)

As of, oh, 3 weeks ago, I jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon. And, I have been obsessed ever since. I'm already on book #3 - Mockingjay. I swear, this series is addicting. It's funny because over the years, I have found that it's the books I'm most reluctant to read that I end up loving so much. For example, The Kite Runner, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter (before it was cool), Water for Elephants, to name a few. Anyways, I have had the first book of the series, The Hunger Games, for a year now and finally decided to read it. At first, I was a little embarrassed because I considered it a "kids" or "tweens" book (which it is) but after having read it, I can safely say that it's totally adult reader friendly as well!

Two weekends ago, Jeffrey took me to a local bookstore in La Jolla, Warwicks, and bought me the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. It was such a special treat. Later on that night, we spent the majority of the evening on the couch reading our respective books. It was probably the highlight of my weekend and one of my most favorite moments with him. Jeffrey isn't much of a reader, so the fact that he also bought himself a book and dove right into it was exciting for me! I secretly love it when I find him immersed in a book. Want to know what he bought? Dick Cheney's In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir. Yep, when he reads, it basically consists of military or political books. I don't really fancy them like he does. But it will look so nice on our future married couple bookshelf! :)

Okay, back to The Hunger Games! I'm also a Twilight series fan, written by Stephanie Meyer. However, although I really loved those books and movies and the concept they presented of a foreign world and species, the books were really poorly written. If someone had given me the idea to write about vampires living in a human world and to include a love story and werewolves, I think I could have written on, at the very least, the same writing level as Stephanie Meyer did, if that says anything. So, with that being said, one of the things I've been so pleased with in The Hunger Games series is Suzanne Collins' writing. It is so much more mature and professional. Even if it is a book for 13 year olds, she's a lot more polished and established of a writer and it's clear in reading her novels. I have been so pleased with that. As to be expected, it's also a really easy read and if you're looking for something to help you "get away" - this is IT! I love the idea of reading and immersing myself into the book's world, forgetting about my growing lists of to-do's. I'm not going to give a synopsis of the book because I feel like it's too complicated to get in to and even if I tried, you'd think it was still weird just like I thought the first 50 times I picked it up but never read it. So, even if you pick up the book and read the back cover of it and put it down thinking to yourself "hmm that seems weird and a little too sci-fi for me" don't let your thoughts get the best of you! I promise, you will not be let down.

Please, read the book. And once you do, let me know what you thought of it! :)

P.S. The movie on the first book is coming out on March 23, 2012. That means you have 6 months to get reading!! And, as usual, you know the book will be better than the movie as it always is, so you may as well go ahead and read the book!

Exactly 3 Months From Today...

2011-09-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

...I Will Be Marrying My BFF Jeff Gruetzmacher!

I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by!!

Outside of Bed, Bath and Beyond - our first registry experience!

Labor Day Weekend Wrap Up: Wild Wedding Festivities Begin.

2011-09-11T11:33:00.002-07:00

Labor Day weekend started for me on Thursday. I flew to Texas and got in at around 2:30. From there, my mom and I went to my 2nd wedding hair and makeup appointment which took several hours until I finally was over it and needed to get out of there! We ended up meeting my dad at my favorite local hot spot, Lupe Tortilla, for dinner and I enjoyed a much needed Mexican dinner with free flowing chile con queso. My favorite. Friday, I was up early and at a dr's appointment and from there, went to several wedding appointments with my mommy. The first one was my very first dress fitting! **Something I've realized about wedding appointments is they are never shorter than 2 hours. Here I was thinking that we only had 2 scheduled appointments today and that they shouldn't last long. Boy, I was wrong! It still took up the entire day, but we had a blast!

Mom and I before the dress fitting.

After the dress fitting, my mom, myself and our wedding planner, Karen, all went to our decorations vendor. After all of our appointments and email correspondence dealing with my vision and my theme, they set up tablescapes for me to see the wedding decor. It was absolutely lovely and got me really excited about everything! Everyone had such great feedback, people that weren't even involved in our wedding. Everyone seemed to love my concept and vision for the wedding theme and it really just drove everything home. Everyone kept on saying how "different" it was and "unique" and I was so happy because to me, my vision and theme is very different and unique and to see other people feel the same way was a confirmation that it was what I was looking for. I did take pictures of the decor, but don't want to spoil the surprise and the fun! :) I loved that our decorations vendor did the tablescapes for me to see how everything is going to look. I'm sure they do that for other people too, but they set up an entire room dedicated to me with the different tables and their decor. For a bride planning a wedding from afar, it was really necessary and helped give me peace of mind that we were on the same page. They really wanted to make sure my vision was enforced and confirm that they were going in the right direction - which they were. It was awesome!

I met sweet Caitlan for dinner at Flora & Muse. She's always so good about planning time to hang out and get together with me, and I'm so thankful for that. We spent several hours conversing, catching up, laughing, and enjoying our dinner over delicious wine. As usual, Caitlan came bearing gifts.

Me with Caitlan's gift! Imagine us walking all around Town & Country City Center carrying this! It was rather humorous!

Me and Cait at Flora & Muse. Look at that adorable "G" she made me out of wine corks!! LOVE!

Saturday started the excitement! I had two wedding showers on Saturday - the weekend was really beginning! It all was such a blur - it went by so quickly. But I had an absolute blast and enjoyed every minute of it! My very first bridal shower was actually at Jeff's parent's house and was hosted by his two grandmothers, great aunt and his mom's sister. It was so thoughtful and nice to have them think of hosting a family shower for me and I loved getting to see so many of my family members and getting to meet so many of his that I had never met before. Weddings really do bring people together, and this shower was a testament to that!

My maid of honor, Emily and my Matron of Honor, Lauren. So happy you both could be there for my very first shower!!

Jeffrey was swimming in the pool in the backyard during the entire shower - which was pretty funny. This was one of his appearances he made towards the end of the shower. So glad he thought to put a shirt on...haha.

About 2 hours after the first shower ended, Jeffrey and I headed to the good ole College Station, Texas. Our old stomping grounds. We had another shower in a few hours that was hosted by several of the E-2 mom's (his outfit in the corps of cadets at A&M). For those of you unfamiliar with the corps of cadets, think of it as a military-inspired fraternity. We were blown away by how many of the E-2 mom's were willing to contribute to hosting our shower - there were 16 hostesses! It was so nice to see how many people were willing to put forth so much time and effort towards us and this shower. The shower was hosted at C&J Barbeque in Bryan, TX. Jeffrey and I were also thrilled to find out where the shower was going to be held as we absolutely love C&J and we had been craving some bbq for a long time! There just isn't Texas bbq in San Diego, no matter how many places we try. It's a bummer. For sure. It was so nice to see so many of his buddies and how important it was for them to be at this shower for Jeff. Since we've gotten older and people have moved out of state, it's harder for some of the guys to make the showers. But I know Jeffrey was so pleased to see several of his buddies there. We had a great time!

Jeffrey and I at C&Js.

The most delicious red velvet cake. Ever. We took two pieces home with us and ended up eating it for breakfast the next morning. :) Guess that's our inner fat kid.

The shower was a "gift card" shower which was great. If you live out of town (out of state out of town) and are planning your wedding somewhere else(ie back home), having a gift card shower is so nice! Don't get me wrong, I love getting to open presents and see what people have bought us and picked out for us, but the gift cards were nice because we were able to bring them back with us and not have to worry about how we're going to be transporting all of our gifts back to us. If you're wondering "how are you going to transport your gifts back" well that's a good question. Jeff's parents currently are storing all of our presents and will be driving them up to us (thankfully) after the wedding and honeymoon at some point. Also, I'm sure several people will be shipping our gifts to us as well, which helps!

Emily was at this shower too! She is a stellar maid of honor!

My family, minus Philip, Lauren and William. I'm glad my dad and brother(s) got to be a part of some of the wedding festivities since normally the men are excluded.

It's never a trip to College Station without a visit to Northgate. After the shower ended, we got changed and ready to go out. First stop? The Dixie Chicken. What else? It's a College Station/A&M requirement. I love their Sangria, so I made sure to get me a glass of it while we were there!

Sunday was *game day*. All week before we left for Houston, Jeff was preparing his Aggie game day outfit (and mine as well). He even had me try on a few things for him. This boy loves his school so much, as do I, but he's like a kid in a candy store when it comes to A&M! He gets wild and giddy. It's adorable. We started off the day with his family and doing regular Aggie things, like visiting the CC Creations tent sale. Then we ate lunch together and parted ways. Jeff and I headed to campus and found a spot to park in my old neighborhood, the Historic District. It was so weird seeing my old house and not pulling in to the driveway. 407 Fairview, I miss you. We headed to campus to see my lil brosef, Anthony. He is a freshman this year at A&M (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ayyyy) and lives in Appelt on Southside.

A picture with the three of us, of course.

It was hilarious because sitting there, I learned a lot about my brother and his first 2 weeks of school. Apparently, he puts his mattress on the floor each and every night and sleeps there because he is too long for the extra long college dorm room mattresses and gets his foot caught in the bed frame. It was fun to see his living space and left me reminiscing about my college freshman times. Oh how I'm jealous of him right now and the adventures he's about to partake in!

Oh how I love my school. The fans were out at A&M vs SMU and they were loud! It was awesome, and gives me chills every time. I'm so proud to be an Aggie.

Game was over. Aggies won (WH08P!). What an end to a great weekend!

But, not before we stopped off at Layne's first on our way home. :)

Oh, Pioneer Woman.

2011-09-05T08:11:00.017-07:00

Time for another book post, if I do say so myself. By now, surely, you know how much I love the opportunity to curl up and enjoy a nice read (especially if it means I get to escape from another sporting event on the television, but still get to be in the presence of my man). I mean, I can handle a few sporting events in one week...but he wants it CONSTANTLY. Eesh. However, I must say, he's pretty stellar about putting up with my girlie tv shows, ie. Anything Real Housewives, Anything Bravo, and the occasional Lifetime movie.

All I know is, the fall is coming, and I'm wildly happy for that in so many ways....but I know I will be waving a farewell to Mr. Jeffrey because he'll be attached to all things football and A&M. If you really want to know a secret, it was a strong suggestion from Jeffrey that we NOT get married on a Texas A&M football game day (whether home or away).

So, back to the point of the post...

Ahhh yes, this book. It has been such a good escape for me recently, and I have just flown through it. It is Pioneer Woman's love story - of her and Marlboro Man. And it is oh.so.good. A perfect book for the fall, if I do say so myself! :) So head on over to your nearest Barnes and Noble, or Kindle, and purchase one now - because it's worth the read!

P.S. Did anyone have the chance to check out her new show, Home On the Ranch, that aired this week? She is just as cute as can be.

Jeff Loves Annie.

2011-08-30T18:56:00.001-07:00

After many long hours and late nights (adding up to a few months), I am so very proud to announce that our wedding website is complete! I would love to have as many visitors as possible to the site, so that my efforts weren't completely in vain! :) All I know is, for you fellow brides out there or already wedding wives who have/had wedding websites - I have a whole newfound appreciation for you. Dang, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoy the website and the personalizations that can be found throughout, whether it be in the detailed notes to the wedding party or the music that plays in the background. All of it holds a special place in our hearts, and is there for a reason, because it's special and symbolic to Jeff and I.

Wedding Website found here at www.jefflovesannie.com

Crazy Girl

2011-08-25T08:23:00.009-07:00

I know I've been posting a lot of music posts lately, and I'm sorry because that could be considered a bit lame. But Eli Young Band's new single, Crazy Girl, has been one of my go to songs for weeks now. I just love it so much. When I first heard it I was like whhha is this...? but after a few more times, I jumped on board and am pretty much obsessed with it. I love the lyrics, the tune, the jam, the whole bit.

Anyways, it makes me laugh because although it's a sweet song and he's professing his everyday, true love for his "crazy girl", he's also totally calling ~~her~~ girls out. Us girls, we can pull some crazy moves and leave our men completely dumbfounded. I mean, let's be honest, I've totally been a "crazy girl" and I'm sure I'll have a few more "crazy girl" moments in my lifetime. :) But thanks to this song, it can be turned into a good thing. Jeffrey tells me (lovingly) that he thinks of me/us when he hears this song. I think of him/us as well. I think it's so perfect that it came out when it did, while we were engaged and about to commit ourselves to marriage, because it reminds me that no matter what I do or what situations may present themselves as - he wouldn't dream of going anywhere. And that he loves me like crazy.

P.S. The video is a very literal interpretation of the song - it's a good video to watch, and it's fun to see the band's parts in it. :) Enjoy.

Jeff's Birthday!

2011-08-24T20:00:00.002-07:00

It's Jeffrey's 25th birthday today!! Yes, he's engaged to a cougar. I'm a whole 3 months and 19 days older than him! :) We had a great day together, and I know he felt celebrated and loved. Now that we're "old" our birthdays aren't quite as fun and special as when we were kids. I mean the mere fact that we still have to show up to work and do our jobs on our very own BIRTHDAYS proves enough. What's happening to this world??

I was originally starting to plan a little surprise get together for Jeff's birthday...but as I was putting it together I thought about it and realized...hmm, I'm not sure how thrilled he'd be about this. So I spoke to him about his upcoming birthday, what he wanted, etc and all he really cared about was hanging out with me. I told him about my plan of at least organizing something and having a get together but he took my idea of grilling out at my place and said it sounded like fun, but as he continued to talk about it, he basically eliminated the other people from the equation. So long story short, Jeff's not one of those guys that needs a big "to do" for his birthday. Which is nice and something I appreciate about him. Thus, we'll just have to have people over to my place and grill out NOT in honor of Jeff's birthday. Whatever makes him feel better.

So, immediately after I left work I headed over to his place in downtown. I had three cards for him to open. One was a regular birthday love card, and the other two were gifts (written on cards I made). The first one saying I would treat him to any dinner of his choice (probably Fudruckers) and the second card said I would treat both him and I to a kayak excursion across the ocean. :) I made it sound more dramatic and cooler than it actually is, but I've done it before in La Jolla and it is really fun. He was pretty excited about it. And his last and final gift was a cookie cake from Mrs Fields (ain't NOTHING compared to what us southern folk were raised with...shout out to Great American Cookie Co! Please bring your chain to California...they desperately need it here). I definitely didn't over do it in the gifts department and kept it small (which was hard for me).

Do you want to know where he chose to go to dinner? Yep. Fudruckers. Apparently, he already saw that one coming because he told me after he opened his gifts that he had purposefully chosen his calories carefully today to save up for his Fudruckers meal. Ha - he's a funny one.

Another funny thing is that as we were leaving, we stopped off at the front desk to see if his package from his parents had arrived. I had a feeling that his mom would send him a cookie cake...we tend to have the same ideas. So when we got the box and it said Mrs Fields I started laughing. Then, as we opened the box I made a joke about it being the same cake I got for him. But nooo, probably not, because the one I got for him had balloons on it and it looked like it would be more for a kid. Well, guess what? He got TWO of the exact same cookie cakes!! We laughed about that one. What are the odds?

It was a simple birthday, but he kept on saying over and over how happy he was and how much he loved everything. I think the important thing for him was that we were together. He told me his favorite part of the day was getting to be with me. I asked him what his second favorite part of the day was...and he said "getting to eat at Fudruckers...with you".

The more we're together, the happier we are. And I'm just so thankful so be living in the same city with him again! You don't realize the things you take for granted until you don't have them anymore...and on days like today, when Jeff looks at me and says "I'm so happy you live here" I know things are just...so right.

HAPPY 25TH BIRFDAY G-FAVE.

Without You.

2011-08-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here is something sweet for ya. Jeff is totally not a "lyrics" guy when it comes to music. Meaning, he likes a song because of the beat, the sound, if it's catchy to him or not. Not because the lyrics are sentimental and meaningful.

That's why I think this is EXTRA sweet and special. Lately, he has been obsessed with Keith Urban's "Without You". Last weekend, every time we were in the car, he kept on changing the stations, back and forth, back and forth from XM and regular radio waiting for the song to come on. He did it so much that I was starting to get annoyed - just let me listen to A SONG, ANY SONG please!! He was frantic about it - really! Then, when we'd get back to his place, he'd put the song on repeat on his loud speakers. At one point, during the car ride when he kept on changing the stations trying to see if it was playing, I asked him why he liked the song so much. He said it's because it reminded him of me and talked about why. Melted my heart into a huge puddle. He talked about how it's such a sweet song and he thinks it's so perfect for "us" as a couple, with him and his career as a traveling and deploying Navy man. I thought about it and the next time I heard it REALLY listened to the lyrics, and he was so right - it made me think of him too, us, our relationship, everything. It was so perfect!

Take a peak for yourself. Listen to the song - it's really sweet. Even if you've already heard it before, listen again. It's a declaration of love to his wife (Nicole Kidman). It's very touching. He is saying through this song that his life wouldn't mean anything if his wife wasn't in it.

How I Got Here.

2011-08-08T09:31:00.001-07:00

As promised, I'm finally updating my blog with a post about San Diego, the move, and how it all started.

It sounds weird, but it was the ideal situation. I had been pretty unhappy at my job at Apache in Houston. I worked for Apache straight from college, and it was an awesome company to work for and a great job to get. I started in the HR Department and then transitioned over to the operations side of the oil and gas industry into the Regulatory department, working with the engineers, etc. While in the HR department, a lot of people were miserable and unhappy - the group was really dysfunctional. There had been a lot of recent management changes, and that really stirred the pot. People weren't happy about the changes, so the environment was really hard to be in. I was so happy to get out of there into my "new and improved" department in Regulatory and learn more about oil and gas operations. Little did I know, 6 months later, how utterly screwed up and dysfunctional my small department of 5 WOMEN was. Ugh. I had the privilege of working in 2 messed up departments for the same company. Awesome. I really don't want to divulge all of the dirty details, but those who know me and knew me during this time know how bad the situation was for me. My personality and character was attacked, and overall, it was just a really hard time for me. I am still scarred by some of the things that happened, or was said to me, or by the way things were handled. My department was completely unprofessional, and I was way too trusting. I learned a lot from that situation though, and I am SO.THANKFUL. to be rid of that place. Literally. Good Riddance!

Anyways, moving on...

As a short recap, Jeffrey has been in the Navy Flight School program for the past 2 years, training to be a pilot. It's a 2 year long program and January of 2011 marked his 2nd year. In January, he got his wings, which is a really big deal in the flight community. They have an entire ceremony dedicated to the "winging". A week or so before his winging is when he found out that he would be flying the MH-60R for the Navy (in short, you can call it the Romeo) which is the helicopter that he wanted! That is also when he found out that he would be sent to the North Island base in San Diego (Coronado Island) for MORE training on his specific helicopter. They call this portion of training "the RAG" and the length of it varies from aircraft to aircraft. His training for his specific helicopter was to last anywhere from 10-12 months.

So, the ideal situation is that I got laid off with a pretty decent package the day before Jeffrey found out all of this information that would define his career (the helicopter he was selected to fly as well as the location he'd be going to for the Rag). So one day, I lose my job and the next, Jeffrey finds out he got all of his first choices (hooray!) and that he will be moving to San Diego. That in and of itself was more than the sign that we needed. I may be repeating myself here, but my family has a house in San Diego. It's their "2nd home", a vacation home if you will. All of this was too good to be true. Although I had been interviewing in Houston and was offered some pretty amazing jobs with some pretty amazing companies, everything seemed to really be falling into place in San Diego. Jeff and I had seriously been talking marriage at that point, about dates, timing and everything. I knew within that year, I would be moving to be with him, whether through the institution of marriage, or because of something like this. It was an open door, an open opportunity...one that I couldn't help but to snatch up and take advantage of. I had a place to live, I would no longer be long distance with my boyfriend (we had been long distance for the past 2 years...it was rough), AND I was offered a job with the company that I had wanted to work for out in San Diego. It was the perfect timing, and too good to be true.

So I accepted. And here I am. :)

A Few of My Faves.

2011-07-22T08:10:00.001-07:00

Here are two playlists for you! One is from Colbie Caillat's new CD - All of You. Of course I had to purchase this cd as soon as it came out - check out the songs, I'm sure you'll love them! :)

My next playlist is some of the new songs from Eli Young Band's new CD - Crazy Girl. Jeffrey and I share a mutual love for Eli Young Band and I'm pretty obsessed with this new CD right now. I can't wait for it to come out!

Happy Friday to you all! I've been a really bad blogger lately (let's be honest, I've been bad the entire time I've had a blog). However, it really is my intention to be better about blogging and to stay updated on what's going on, especially throughout this wedding process and being engaged. There's so much to tell!! And how could I forget the important posts on life in San Diego?? Stay tuned...

I Heart Carbs.

2011-07-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, carbohydrates are my best friend in the food triangle. I love them.

Tonight, on my way home from work, I swung by this restaurant nearby called "Bread Bites and Moore". And pictured below is one of the reasons why. :) Don't be fooled by their name...they really do serve "bread bites" as sides. It was when I came home and was chowing down on my meal that I realized how much I love carbs. Although I do see the importance somewhat on reducing one's carbohydrate intake, I am still thankful every time I am able to taste that deliciousness of a carb. I feel for the compulsive dieters and strict eaters that don't allow themselves carbohydrates, or, when they do eat carbs, they take Alexis off of Real Housewives Orange County size bites.** What.A.Pity.

God bless America, and God bless carbs!

Bread Bites' bread bites

** In case you were wondering what my reference was to in my comment above: Speaking of bread, here is a recap of something that happened on an episode from last season's Real Housewives of Orange County. Alexis & her mom are at dinner the night before her mom is getting plastic surgery done. Alexis notes her mom's funny eating habits (she only had toast before dinner). "People wonder where I get my eating habits," Alexis says. Then she says she wants one more bite of bread and takes a ~~bite~~ crumb off a small piece of bread.

Yea. Who does that??

I think it's well worth your time and money to search for a clip of that episode just so you can witness it for yourself!

Honeymooning, Anyone?

2011-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Clearly seeing as I'm in full on bridal mode...the honeymoon after party has been on my mind...a.lot. Let's just say I wouldn't mind skipping over the whole "planning" part and just showing up on my wedding day ready to be wed instead. I'm also beyond thrilled about the idea of relaxing in the lap of luxury while vacationing with my new HUBS!! Honestly, the honeymoon was on my mind well before the thought of "wedding dresses" and "bridal colors" were. :)

The sad part is, I've been stumped on where to go. There are so many amazing and wonderful places out there to visit, travel to, and explore and so many of these are on my wish-list. However, I think when I'm presented with a situation that has "unlimited options" I freeze. It's something I've learned about myself recently.

Jeff and I have casually talked about our honeymoon on a few occasions, but as for now, it hasn't been top priority. I think it's something we're both trying to avoid for now #1 because we don't know where we want to go and #2 because we're scared it may not happen. Welcome to the military peeps! :) Here I am planning our wedding around the military in hopes that we have "control" and that we'll get a honeymoon, and it's possible it won't happen. We'll just have to see. Anyways, I threw out African safari, we've both discussed Australia, and I think we've pretty much axed the idea of Mexico (I really don't want to get involved with the Mexican drug cartel, no thanks)...but then there's so many other places too!!

We also don't even know what type of honeymoon we want - do we want beach or snow? Hot or cold? We're getting married in the winter (December) so we have good options for either. Since I haven't really been on the fast road to the "LGN" body (look good naked) a part of me shivers at the idea of being in a swimsuit. Sorry folks but you most likely won't see me posing on my honeymoon in my skimpy bikini with my perfect body (who does that anyway?). But the other part of me doesn't want to be restricted over something as silly as that. So that's why I need your professional help and expertise!

.....................................................................................................

I need your help with honeymoon ideas! Let me know where you honeymooned, or where your friends honeymooned, or where you WISH you honeymooned! There are no limitations and no restrictions. Clearly we're open minded and we need all the help we can get!

Snow & cold....

*Montana

or sand and hot??

*Tahiti

Memories.

2011-07-11T04:38:00.002-07:00

It's funny how much music can play with your emotions and thoughts. To me, hearing a song is just like smelling a scent. It sparks up all of these memories that my mind has tagged with that specific scent (or song).

I was listening to some songs today that reminded me of various memories and times during college. I figured I'd share them with you. Although they hold such meaning to me for all sorts of reasons, to you, they're just songs. And that's okay. Because you have songs that have special meanings to you too and that spark up vivid memories, just like I do.

Here's a quick trip down memory lane...

It's Never Too Late To Say: I'm Engaged!

2011-06-15T12:18:00.002-07:00

I know, I know. You don't have to tell me twice that this post is WAY overdue. You can call me a bad blogger, a bad fiance, or whatever you want...but, I don't think it's ever too late to bestow on everyone my good news!

The engagement happened on Wednesday, April 27th...and came as a complete surprise! He really made the night sweet and special, all done in true Jeffrey fashion.

I knew he was the one for me, and I knew an engagement would be coming before June..ish. Simply because we had been having those serious conversations, and moving in that direction...and we had even made a few wedding plans! I will talk about this in further detail in future posts to come, but we had in fact already decided on our wedding date. Yes, that's right...we had a wedding date before we were officially engaged. Therefore, by choosing December 18th as the wedding date, I knew it would happen before June...ish because I remember him saying on multiple occassions throughout the 4+ years of our relationship that he wanted me to have at least 6 months to plan the wedding. So bam, I'm a smart girl and I did the math!

Several close family and friends knew about these prior arrangements, so after I moved to San Diego the first of March and wasn't engaged shortly after, I started hearing commentary about it. "When's he going to propose?" "I can't believe he hasn't proposed yet!" "Do you think he'll propose before we come in town and visit you? I hope so!" "When you told me y'all were going out last night I thought that he would propose then..but he didn't! When's he going to do it??" Needless to say, I clearly never knew the answers to their questions...and thankfully, I wasn't as disgruntled about it as they were. I was calm and at peace, and not worried about it or preoccupied by it. However, when the end of April came approaching, and I was still an un-engaged woman, these questions and comments from people started to make me wonder.

Literally, the week before Jeffrey proposed, I remember having a conversation with him saying that I just KNEW when he was going to propose because he was waiting until the last possible second to do it, and I just KNEW when it was happening! I thought I had it all figured out...because he was running out of options. There were only 4 weekends left until June, and one of them I had friends in town, another one his family was in town, another one he was out of town, and the last one I was out of town. Knowing Jeff, I knew he wouldn't want to do it in front of a crowd or audience and that he'd want it to be private and intimate. Therefore, there was limited time and opportunity left and I mentioned that I knew he wouldn't do it on a week night. So I thought I had it all figured out, and was kind of annoyed by it because the both of us always wanted it to be a surprise, so to think that it was no longer a surprise for me made me sad!

Little did I know that he had it already figured out...to happen on that following Wednesday evening! Here's a brief recap of the events that took place. I'm going to spare you some of the details, although I love them, so I can make it a bit quicker:

Asking for my dad's hand in marriage: Monday night, my dad was in town and the 3 of us all met up for dinner upon his arriving flight. Jeff had coordinated it with my dad weeks prior to see if they could meet up before our dinner plans so that he could ask my dad for his permission to marry me. I had no idea, and showed up at the restaurant at the designated time to eat some seafood..and that I did! My dad and Jeff really pulled it off!

Proposal: Jeff and I had already made plans to hang out and have a "date night" on Wednesday, April 27th. I had it all set in my head that I was going to go to his place in downtown that night, and we would take advantage of one of the downtown or gaslamp district "hot spots" for dinner that night...of which I had previously sent him an email about with 5 different dinner options...that of which I never got a response on. Regardless, I was planning on heading to his place after work. So, when Wednesday rolled around...the day ended up being a day filled with lies. Jeff was super cute all day but he had to lie about multiple things, like when he told me he was flying later on that afternoon when in all actuality he flew early that morning. Or, when he was texting me saying his flight was delayed and our hanging out would be pushed back even more and he'd contact me and let me know when he would get done flying. At that point, I was super bummed and had already stayed at work an hour later waiting to hear from him so I could head straight to his place. I expressed my frustration/disappointment to him and he was still so sweet, patient and loving towards me. He kept on saying how excited he was about our date night and to not let these changes ruin things - we would still have fun. I ended up leaving work and going home to just wait for his call. At the time, Jeff was internally concerned that I was going to go home and work out..but he didn't know how to show that without revealing he had a secret. So he just asked "what are you going to do when you get home" and I in my pouting spirit replied "I don't know, I guess sit there" of which he had no response. So what I actually ended up doing was going home and getting into my zone while watching Oprah's "20 Years Younger" episode. Typically, when I come home after work, I "de-cute" myself, and rid myself of all of my jewelry, etc. So, I "de-cuted" myself and I was totally focused and into the show and was literally not thinking about anything other than wanting to research the facial skincare products Dr Lancer was promoting. The next thing I know...my door bell rings. When I got down the stairs and turned the corner, I saw what looked to be like the outline of Jeff's truck through the inside of the closed blinds. I opened the door and saw Jeff, and I'm sure my face showed one reaction: shock. I hugged him and said "what are you doing here"? At that moment..I knew. I knew by the sheer look on his face, what he was there to do. Initially I thought that maybe he had gotten done with his flight earlier and wanted to surprise me and pick me up...but that thought quickly changed as he got down on one knee in my entry way and said lots of sweet loving things and PROPOSED!!

I, of course, said YES and hugged him and didn't even notice the ring! Finally, he ended up putting the ring on me, and we took a quick photo shoot session (done by his roommate Adam who Jeff had recruited to follow him in his own car and pop out from the bushes to document the proposal...Jeff knows me so well and knows how I like my pictures), called family members and headed to dinner where he had made reservations. It was a special time for the two of us, and I loved that it was just us two getting to share and experience it.

Thanks for the special and thought out plan Jeffrey - I love how your goal was to surprise me...and I know how hard that can be sometimes, so kudos for making it work!! I loved the surprise and I loved the outcome of the surprise! :) YOU!

He did so good with the ring too - I knew I wanted something unique and different, yet still tasteful and classy. I had never tried this ring on or anything, but it was something I had mentioned to him in passing and he really took it and ran with it! He searched high and low to track it down...and I'm so glad he did!

The token awkward picture...just for your viewing pleasure

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.

2011-06-13T21:29:00.005-07:00

I have realized recently from various remarks from friends that they refer to my blog for reading suggestions. That simply delights me as I (obviously) adore to read. However, I realize how fickle I am about blogging and once I'm out of it for a few weeks, it's hard to get back in it! I definitely don't want to let any of my readers (hey mom!) down so I wanted to update with one more book suggestion!

So anyways, one of the books I read this spring was The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It was a really cute and interesting read. I was fascinated while reading the book because I don't think I've ever read anything like it. It was a bit odd really, but intriguing odd and it kept my attention. Rose Edelstein is 9 years old when she discovers that she can taste the emotion's in her mother's lemon cake. This continues on throughout the rest of the book, and it extends way beyond just her mother's lemon cake. Rose is able to taste the emotions of whoever prepares her food, giving her unwanted insight into other people's lives and emotions.

It's imaginative, and creative, and while reading I felt bonded with Rose and really felt connected to her and what she was going through as I was reading. Rose's struggle becomes your struggle as family secrets are exposed, and Rose is left to deal with it on her own.

The Perfect Beach Read.

2011-05-18T16:51:00.005-07:00

Bossypants.

by Tina Fey. Does anything else really need to be said? I think the cover says it all.

Bringing It Back: The Cranberries.

2011-05-17T15:12:00.008-07:00

Growing up, I loved The Cranberries. I've been listening to them lately, and I forgot how much I loved them! Here are 2 of my favorite songs - happy listening!

Weekend Recap: Bridesmaids.

2011-05-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty much dedicated to bridesmaids - it's pretty funny how that worked out! Jeffrey was out of town this weekend for his sister, Emily's, graduation from Texas A&M (Whoop! Gig Em! Congrats!) and I spent the weekend with a few of my girlfriends in SD!

Friday night, we went and saw the newly released movie Bridesmaids - and it was fantastic! {No, mom, you will not like this movie}. I have not laughed that hard in a movie in a long time. My explanation of it is that it's the girl version of The Hangover, so jump on it! Melissa McCarthy was excellent in it - I've loved her since she played Sookie on Gilmore Girls. And obviously so was everyone else. When you have 2 or more SNL cast members in a movie, it's bound to be a good one.

The majority of Saturday was spent doing bridesmaids stuff (thinking, finding, searching, narrowing...) all in the name of trying to ask my bridesmaids to be, well, my bridesmaids! Still working on it...

And Sunday, I watched Revenge of the Bridesmaids, with Raven Symone, which I had ordered on Netflix. Crazy that it came in this weekend, and even crazier that I am like a 12 year old and love ABC Family movies. As Amanda pointed out to me Friday night, I am like a big kid. She was laughing at my choices of snacks at the movie theater. What can I say?

It was a great weekend. SD becomes my home with each passing day and week. So thankful it's been such a wonderful, easy, and smooth transition!

Anne, on the right is a new friend I made after moving out here. She's engaged to another Navy Helicopter pilot who is currently deployed. They will get married in August - yay for her! Amanda is on the left, and I am so thankful for her! She and I were friends at A&M and are Texas girls finding ourselves in San Diego living only a few miles apart. We were both Chi Omegas together, she was 2 years older than me. Her husband is also in the Navy and he deployed last week for 6 months...so sad. Glad we all have each other!

Cell Phone Talkers and Users.

2011-05-15T21:17:00.005-07:00

There are a lot of different cell phone users out there, ranging in all different spectrums. Today, I am going to talk about just one type of cell phone user - and it's the loud talker. My sweet daddy is absolutely guilty of this. My dad is the most precious of men, and talking on the phone certainly isn't his favorite thing, so maybe that's why he overcompensates by talking SO LOUD INTO THE PHONE IT'S LIKE HE'S YELLING. After a phone conversation we had today, I realized this was happening because I saw I was yelling into the phone too and I didn't know why. I realized I was yelling back at him because he was doing it (isn't it funny how we model after the other cell talker? If you didn't realize it before, I'm sure now that I mentioned it, you will).

So, for all the loud cell phone talkers out there, don't worry - we can hear you.

Love you daddy. I'd take you and your loud cell phone talking any day! :)

My Ongoing Owl Obsession.

2011-05-14T18:20:00.006-07:00

If you've known me for an hour, you probably know that I have a strange love and obsession with owls. I *die* every time I see anything owl, and my friends know enough to text, call, or purchase when they see owl items. I have great friends. You may be wondering why I love owls so much, well I am not even quite sure myself other than it originated when I pledged my sorority, Chi Omega, at Texas A&M. Our sorority symbol is the "owl" as it's a symbol for wisdom. Hence since our symbol is the owl, a lot of our sorority stuff had owls on them.

Anywhoo (whoo whoo), my friend Sarah Bertelson sent me this in the mail for my birthday on Cinco de Mayo and I just had to share!

She got the coin purse in NYC when she was there for work a few weeks ago. Is it not the cutest? And obviously I am not her grandpa, but the card had an owl on it...so she had to!

Thanks SBert for being such a thoughtful friend! It definitely made me giggle and smile!

XOXO.

I've Been Blessed By Skype.

2011-05-13T11:56:00.008-07:00

So, I had the most blessed and adorable experience with my nephew last week.

The hardest thing about being in San Diego is being away from my family...but most particularly, William! Since he is only 1, I was so concerned he would forget his "Nana" and not remember me and our sweet connection once I moved away. Well thank goodness for "Lo", my sweet sister in law, because she's been so great about texting and calling me whenever William talks about me. There have even been a few times when they were driving on the freeway, and he saw a car that looked like mine and would point and say "Nana!". That melted my heart the most, because he's barely seen my car! (Although, there was 1 day where I put him in the driver's seat....don't worry, the car was not on and we were not driving....and he had so much fun turning the wheel and play driving). As a good diversion to my rabbit trail, here are 2 of the pictures I took of him in my car:

Anyways, Lauren was so excited when she got a new Mac Desktop that came with a webcam because then we could Skype! Lauren and I set up a date to Skype with the 3 of us (Lauren, me, William) for the first time. It was such a special and sweet time and it left me encouraged after our 20 minute Skype when I saw how excited William was to see me and when I realized after hanging up that he still remembered me and we still had our little "connection" even if I wasn't able to be present with him as much!

Below is a short video that Lauren filmed of William and I when we were Skyping. He was eating his snack while we were Skyping, and he ended up feeding me some! In order for Lauren to be able to email it to me, she had to cut out a lot of the video, so this is really short, but still very enjoyable! Something to know is that he found it SO funny and SO cute and he was laughing and giggling SO much! But it doesn't show that on this video!

ENJOY!

All I have to say is, thank GOD for Skype! For reals!!

Army Wives.

2011-05-13T11:18:00.004-07:00

I know I have SO much to catch up the blogging community on, and I will do so, but first and foremost I have to post this!

If you've found yourself with nothing to do this weekend or with the dread that summer is approaching and therefore all your favorite shows are ending and the only tv shows you can watch this summer are The Bachelorette and Dancing With The Stars, then I've got something to share with you!

Just this last week I have recently become OBSESSED with the Lifetime series Army Wives. I am already on the 2nd season and I recommend it for everyone! It is surprisingly great with awesome storylines, it's absolutely fabulous! Also, get excited because all 4 seasons are on Netflix on "Instant" so if you have a Netflix account, you can start watching it right now! I'm so excited for you to get to watch this show! Also, I know it sounds corny, but being in a relationship with a Navy guy...the tv show really inspires me! It helps me and gives me some good tips, even though I know it's not very accurate to a real Army or military life, some things are similar. There has never been a show like this before so why not take advantage of it now!

San Diego = Snail Capital of The World.

2011-04-20T21:29:00.003-07:00

No lie - these tiny creatures are EVERYWHERE! Anytime you're out and you hear a "crunch" you know what it is...eek! Who knew there'd be so many??

A Taste of Hillcrest.

2011-04-20T09:31:00.010-07:00

This past Saturday, Jeff and I went to our first "San Diego" thing since I moved here and became an official resident. We went to "Taste of Hillcrest" - I had heard about it on the radio and it sounded like such a fun time! Basically, it was a taste event that took place during the afternoon on Saturday (12-4) and it was a come & go event. It was a self-guided tour that took us to some of the "top chefs" in San Diego who had prepared "taster" dishes for people to enjoy. We got to try everything from appetizers to desserts - and we got A LOT of food. I think about 45 restaurants participated in this and offered up different samples of their food! Apart from that, the area of Hillcrest is so fun! In comparison to you Texas folk who may be reading, it kind of reminds me of Austin or the Montrose area in Houston. Along with the great restaurants, it has dozens of charming shops and it's a very contagious atmosphere. Definitely a fun area of town to go and visit!

It was a great thing for Jeff and I to try because, if you know me, you know that I love wineing and dining & a great restaurant find! If you know Jeff, you know that he isn't such a "foodie" and the "foodie" that he is pretty much consists of comfort food and "man" food, nothing out of the box. So, this was fun to try something new, have this experience and to add a few restaurants to our "must try" list! (And, now that you know how Jeffrey is, you know how EXTRA sweet it is when he takes me out to a "foodie" find because he's doing it purely for me...not for himself. That's love if I've ever seen it!)

We both really enjoyed ourselves, apart from Jeff mentioning, oh about 100 times, how hot it was. I kept on telling him "you're from Texas! Are you serious?" but, apparently he was! We only lasted about an hour and a half, and actually ate from about 15 restaurants (anything with the words thai, exotic cuisine, india, or mediterranean in it were passed up by Jeffrey) but all in all it was an enjoyable activity for the both of us!

Some of my favorite finds:

Chocolat

-- This was such a fun surprise to have on the tour because this past summer, my family and I had actually come here for dessert (crepes & coffee) and I was OBSESSED!

Babycakes

Gossip Grill

Bread & Cie Bakery & Cafe

-- My parents and I went here this past summer too, and it was a cute spot - great breads!

Naked Pizza

Hump Day Music, Y'all.

2011-04-12T19:23:00.012-07:00

So, a few weeks ago, my mom openly told me that most of the music on my blog "was weird" and that it "scared her". Jeff, who was with her, agreed. Well THANKS you guys. I'm sure you will "approve" of this playlist, as well as any country music playlist I've ever provided. But, for the record, I think it's that I actually have good taste in music....

Yes, This Did Happen.

2011-04-12T07:47:00.007-07:00

First of all, I know I'm only several months behind, but I wanted to welcome one of my besties to the blogging world! I had been telling her she needed to do this for years (more like, 2..), and finally, she gave in. I like to attribute her joining the blogging community to (ahem) myself because she is probably my biggest blogger supporter, always diligently reading them and then immediately texting or messaging me about the specific post. I love it! (DUH! Who doesn't love "fans"?) Clearly, whatever credit I can give myself, I don't hesitate. So, let's welcome Megan and Dan Crownover!!! Clap clap clap. And here's a little something to make you smile: THEM!

So, guess what happened yesterday? I had a crazy moment where 2 of my worlds collided into each other in a brutal smash. It hit me. All of a sudden, I'm sitting at my desk at work, minding my own business, and then I had a *tiny* internal panic attack. I rapidly texted my mom asking her when my brother's high school graduation was (SHS - is the best) and at the same time, frantically g-chatted my friend Megan (mentioned above) asking her when Memorial Day weekend was again. It was too late. At that point in time, I already knew it was O-V-E-R. I had, inadvertently, double booked myself. Oh, the terror!!!! It honestly was one of the worst feelings, no lie.

Here's a little background:

Before I moved out to Cali, Megan was such a sweetie and quickly tried to reserve Memorial Day weekend for her and Dan to come out and visit. I immediately jumped on that bandwagon (and by immediately, I really mean 2.5 weeks later when I finally remembered to respond to her email while she was patiently waiting). I was so excited! I knew Memorial Day weekend was the last weekend in May, but that was about it. Then, add into the mix that my mom told me they wanted to fly me home for my little brother's graduation. She didn't remember when it was, but I made sure to clear it with my boss and company before I accepted the job offer, seeing that it was going to be in May when I would have been employed for a little less than 3 months (supposedly, you aren't supposed to take vacation time the first 3 months, and I am taking Friday off to travel). So, a few weeks ago, my mom booked my ticket. I don't think much of it and the dates. Then, 2 weeks ago, Megan and I were making a bunch of plans and so excited about the trip, so last week she booked the flights and sent me the email confirmation. I was elated, and definitely recognized the effort they took to come out here, noticing that flying 2 people out here on a holiday weekend ain't no cheap thang, but her response was, "it's worth it!".

Then, not even a week later, my worlds collided and my eyes were opened. I called my mom after I realized it and told her the situation. We realized that she didn't know that Anthony's graduation was during Memorial Day weekend. So here I was, knowing M&D were coming out Memorial Day weekend (not too concerned with the dates) and that Anthony's graduation weekend was sometime in May. Well, OBVIOUSLY they aren't the same weekend. Because if they were, my mom would have said Memorial Day weekend was his grad weekend. WAHH. (Insert Snookie's "wahs" here) WAHH. WAHHH.

I honestly can't ponder on it any further, because it just makes me sad. It's a lose-lose situation any way you look at it. On one hand, I'm missing out on a trip with one of my besties who was coming to visit me, and the "me" factor won't even be there now. But on the other hand, I'm not staying in Houston as long as I could have (we didn't know it was Mem Day weekend...remember?) so I'll be returning Sunday early evening rather than Monday. Ay Caramba.

The Positives - Megan is a huge sport and has a really good attitude about it. (If you know her, there's no surprise there!) Dan's best friend from college also lives out here, so they were going to visit him too, so at least it isn't a total loss. Also, our house is welcome to them to still stay here during the weekend so I'm not abandoning them COMPLETELY. AND, since I am returning on Sunday, I will get to hang out with them for, oh, 10 hours. Maybe a little more! :) Megan already said we should do brunch on Monday before they leave. That's just the pits that I move away, a friend comes to visit me, and I only get to see her for a few hours. The pits I tell ya!

Anyways, that's life, it's going to work out, but not necessarily the way I envisioned it. I'm sorry to all of the parties involved that I've made a complete mess of things, but it clearly wasn't intentional and I haven't gotten into the routine of using a calendar again (not that it would have helped anyways).

I'll make it up to you Meggie! Thanks for understanding!! XOXO.

I've Been Living In A Cave.

2011-04-08T19:55:00.006-07:00

So, I've been living in a cave. I just got DVR for the first time....and it is *magic*! I think I can spare you all the details of it's fabulosity because I can only assume that I'm the last person in the world to have gotten it. (When I tell people I just now got it, they look at me in horror).

So out here in Cali, it's kind of funny because we don't really have the delightful option and choice of which cable company we are going to choose. Oh no, no no. It is chosen for us, based on where we live. I don't know the history and drama of it all, but I like to think of it like this: One cable company (Cox) and the other cable company (Time Warner) were in competition (naturally). Something happened, they both flexed their muscles, and made it miserable for everybody because they no longer gave us a choice.

I'm just going to say this one thing: I'm not complaining, but I have Time Warner and wish I had Cox. There, I said it. To be honest with you, this is how bad it's gotten....I've found myself driving around thinking of where I want to live next, and I realize that I am basing that decision off of which parts of town have Cox. Oopsies!

Regardless, Time Warner has still been the sole provider of my DVR experience and for that, I am thankful. So, when the cable guy came out here to install it, I had him show me around and get me acquainted with how to use it. He was talking about how much memory and storage space it has and how there's no way I'll be able to fill it up. He said he has never filled it up more than 40%....well...guess what? As of this morning, I was at 93% (insert shocked face here). And I've probably had the cable for a month, if not, a tad bit longer. I know. How can it be?? You see, that's the problem with DVR. I am now recording shows I never watched, because I can. What's really funny is that last weekend, Jeff was over and he was watching sports (of course) which means he was going through the television and somehow or another stumbled upon my 88% full DVR. Sweet little internalizer Jeffrey sits there and doesn't say anything, until a few days later when it's just that perfect moment for him to bring it up and tease me about it. And now, to think that he's about to see that it's even worse than 88%?? Oh geez.

And, on an unrelated note: If you don't watch Parenthood, you should. Even though Season 2 is almost over, it's not too late. Netflix it, rent it, buy it....you will not be disappointed. I think it's a show that even the men out there would like. Che che check it out - it just keeps getting better!

Wait. What?

2011-04-07T12:22:00.005-07:00

I need you to tell me if you know what I'm talking about in the story and explanation I'm about to launch in to. I hope there are those of you out there, similar to me, who have never heard of such a thing. I also hope there are those of you out there, unlike me, who have indeed heard of such a thing and who can then shed some light on it. Because I need some light shed!!

Here goes: I was talking with a friend the other day who is soon to be wed. We were just discussing weddings, her wedding in particular, the music, decor, bridesmaids...you know, all those sorts of things. Anyways, it came up in conversation how she was giving her venue coordinator her list of bridesmaids and that she was going to need to find out from them what height shoes they were wearing, etc because she needed to know their exact heights on the wedding day so that she could then place them in ascending height order (totally thinking that that's how it is done). BUT THEN her venue coordinator responded and said "No, height doesn't matter. Typically, you place them in order of who is the closest friend to you and go from there."

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

I was appalled and amazed by this revelation - both feelings at the same time! Call me naive, but I had NEVER heard of this!! And I think I know why...it's because, who would want to know that they were placed in ranked order of their value to the bride? Definitely not me. Particularly because I have always been in the back, if not THE LAST person, in the bridal party. Sucks to be me (please note the exaggeration here. I am pleased, honored, and beyond blessed to have served in the weddings I have served in. In no way do I intend to hurt anyone's feelings, and I know not every wedding is done this way).

Weddings already have enough "rankings" to them. Isn't picking a Maid of Honor and Best Man enough? Why then have to diminish everyone again and place them next to you in order of closeness and priority? I mean...DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

For people that do that, and have done that, I'm really wanting to know why? Please give me your take on it because I could be seeing it from a single perspective. I'm both intrigued (and offended) by this, and I'm open to hear what you have to say.

I will say this though, when I get married and have a bridal party of my own, I will not be placing you in ranked order. I promise! If you're at the end of the line, I apologize, but please know this - you're not there because I love you any less than the person standing in front of you. My maid of honor will be next to me to fulfill her MOH duties, and other than that, it's fair game. I am just going to be happy, honored, and delighted to have each and every one of you ladies up there with me!! I will have chosen you for a reason, and those reasons will not be ranked! :)

wam bam, thank you ma'am.

Pray For Kate.

2011-03-27T23:06:00.004-07:00

i cannot help but to cry and to wonder "why God? it's not fair. she's too young!" every time i see kate's story. it's one that must be shared and passed along. this little girl is a warrior, and her family has gotten stretched beyond belief. yet, here they are, still wholeheartedly in pursuit after God. what a wonderful reminder, in the midst of such pain and misery.

http://www.prayforkate.com

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

sweet kate, i cannot even fathom what it is you have been through. but my heart aches and hurts for you. when your mom wrote this on the caringbridge website, tears were streaming down my face. you are indeed a champion, just like your mom says.

"Kate continues to champion doing the radiation awake. Most days she comes out smiliing, proud she once again did not move during the treatments. The other day she had to get xrays while in the mask in addition to the actual treatment, which extended the time some. No one can be in the room as it is sealed off with thick, inpenatrable walls. (which always tends to make me a little sick knowing no one can even remain in the room while she gets her treatment). When I went back to get her after it was finished, they said they could hear her on the video camera wimpering. The extra few minutes seemed to take their toll. And yet, she still didn't move a muscle, just quietly cried to herself until it was done. The public bathroom was once again a place for my private tears."

you may not know much of what this means now, but as you get older im sure it will make more sense. but your life, your experiences, as terrible as they are, have been such a testament to you and your families' love and devotion to God. anyone that has heard of you and your story has witnessed it and been inspired by you. here you are, 16 years younger than i, and yet you are 100 times stronger than i could ever be. keep fighting the good fight kate, God has a plan for you.

Sweet Nothings.

2011-03-22T09:00:00.001-07:00

It seriously is so fabulous to no longer have to be in a long distance (military) relationship! I got this sweet text from Jeff on Sunday night, and it just made my heart melt and my face smile. I absolutely love it!

Boo berry, will you play with me one night this week please?

You better believe I'm going to take him up on his offer!!

San Diego On My Mind.

2011-02-25T14:50:00.004-08:00

Sorry to keep you all on pins and needles, BUT I am indeed moving! I know some of you picked up on some major changes from this post, but at the time, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. So, I'm sorry for never responding to some of your comments. But I knew in time, your questions would be answered!

Here are the simple facts:

1. I am moving to San Diego, CA.
2. I will be starting my new job on Monday, March 14th. What's that you say? I know. It's incredibly fast. And I'm nowhere NEAR close to being ready!
3. I will fortunately be living in my parent's beautiful home while I finish closing out things in Texas (ie, rent and bills, etc) which should be done by the end of this summer. And, once those are closed out, I will still probably continue living in the house because...why not?

I am currently delaying my "Getting Ready for Friday night and Rodeo Cookoff Process" and since sometimes that can actually end up being a REAL process, I shouldn't delay any longer. I just wanted to fill you in on some of the details, and I promise to blog again soon. Sorry I've been such a terrible blogger and I've gone so MIA lately. At least it shows that I'm not contstantly stuck behind a computer worrying about what my next blog post will be!

Some Country Lovin'.

2011-02-16T19:23:00.002-08:00

I don't know about you, but I love me some country music. I can never get enough of it. It doesn't matter where in the world I am, I will always be cravin' me some country. But, I do have to admit, there is no country like the south. :)

Here are some of my recent faves! Maybe I can turn you into a country music believer (if you currently are not). Pay attention to the lyrics as well. Country music sure has a way of pulling at one's heartstrings! I love how real and honest it is. Country music lives off the motto "what you see is what you get", and I love that!!

I hope you can appreciate some of this good ole American music!! Enjoy!

Parenthood

2011-02-16T18:52:00.004-08:00

Parenthood on NBC is the best show ever (please note my dramatic emphasis).

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you Netflix it, purchase it on Amazon, or go to your nearest Blockbuster and rent it.

It is well worth it.

Yaya.

2011-02-07T22:15:00.012-08:00

Jeff

San Diego, CA.

we are leaving at 6 am today and making the drive in 2 days. eesh. so, california, here we come!! i can't wait!

san diego is jeff's new home for at least the next 4 years. we are both looking forward to him finally having some stability in his life. no more moving around every 6-8 months cross country - no sir. he found out in the beginning of january his next placement, and the news couldn't have come at a better time. he got his first choice in helicopter and ended up in san diego which is exactly where he wanted to be. lucky kid. because of my family's roots in san diego (the house that we've had there since i was a soph in college), this certainly is such a blessing and my family and i are so fortunate to have him in san diego. it certainly was no accident, that's for sure.

lots of exciting things have been taking place in my life. it's been a crazy whirlwind, these past several weeks. but they've been some of the best. im in such a happy place and i have been so incredibly blessed by the events that have taken place! i think one of these days, i may do a recap on a few of the happenings...for my own personal reminders and to update some of you on these so called events. can't wait to share. if you want to know, just ask. if not, remain patient. just know - that for me, it's just getting better and better! a door has been (thankfully) slammed shut, only to have about 100 other doors wide open and waiting for me! now, my only stesses lie in "which door do i choose?". and, if that's my main concern, then i think it's fair to say that life.is.good.

p.s. the picture of san diego i used is one in the la jolla/torrey piness area. such a gorgeous part of the city, and it is also super close to where my parents' house is! so fun!

Oh, Love That Will Not Let Me Go.

2011-01-30T21:25:00.003-08:00

I recently came across this beautiful song for the first time. It originates from the composition of a beatifully rich poem by George Matheson, "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go."

After doing a litle research on George Matheson, I learned some interesting things that make the song even more meaningful after knowing the composer's heart.

Born in 1842 with partial sight, George Matheson was the eldest of eight. In 1861 he graduated with Honors from Glasgow University in Philosophy. He always suffered from having impaired vision, but in his twentieth year he became totally blind. He relied on his beloved sister to be his eyes and to help him with his studies throughout his education. Even though he was blind, he still held to his resolve to enter the ministry, and gave himself to theological and historical study. In 1879 the University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D.. In 1890, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He died suddenly of apoplexy in 1906. He never married. He became one of the most outstanding ministers in the history of Scotland.

On June 6, 1882, George Matheson, wrote, "I was alone in the manse, the night of my sister's marriage. Something happened to me which is known only to myself and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. The whole work was completed in five minutes."

The hymn that he is referring to is, “ O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” It is speculated that the "severe mental suffering" he was feeling were thoughts on his own engagement that had been broken off when his fiancée learned that he would soon be completely blind.

"Oh love that wilt not let me go.
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be."

Matheson is expressing such a longing for deep love. In reading his poem, it's evident that the only love that lasts a lifetime is Gods' perfect love. God used a physically blind man who could see the depth of his Christian faith and communicate it to others. Some may never know the blessings of marriage or experience the true meaning of love that God intended it to be, but there is no doubt that all of God's children are created and meant to know the perfect and fulfilling love of our Heavenly Father.

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.

O Light that lightest all my way, I yeald my flickering torch to Thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day, May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee; I lay in dust life's glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.

It's The Little Things.

2011-01-21T12:20:00.003-08:00

This note was tucked away in my purse for me to find, with the sweetest words a girl could hear. Well done by Jeffrey.

It's the Little Things...

I Have The Most Fun...

2011-01-16T22:10:00.006-08:00

...Playing with my nephew!!

I am so lucky to live in the same city as all of my family (at this present moment...because come August, Anthony will be leaving us for Texas A&M University). Part of my fortune in living in the same city as my family is that I get to see my most adorable of nephews any.time.I.want. And, it's THE BEST.

Want to know what is second best? That I think he may be almost as obsessed with me as I am with him. Lauren is always making me feel like a superstar with how much he talks about me and how he's always saying my name (NaNa) and wanting me to come over and play with him. She is always texting, emailing, calling or telling me in person how much he loves me and all the things he does relating to (or for) me. I know partly, she's doing this because she's so sweet and probably because she knows I need it, but I also know the other part comes because it's TRUE. Honestly, from my heart of hearts, I know that WP and I...we have this special bond. I love that kid to pieces. He has blessed my little life.

I have the most fun...playing with William! Here are some of my favorite things about him:
-His adorable bowl cut haircut. I think it's a requirement at some point in every child's life.
-He never EVER cries. And when he does, you know it's because he's serious!
-He sleeps like a teenager.
-He is so social, loves attention, and gives me the best workout ever because every 3 seconds, he is doing something entirely different than he was doing the previous 3 seconds.
-He is technologically savvy. Cell phones are his favorite. He walks around thinking he's talking on it! "Ello??"
-He loves Elmo...and none of us know why. He hasn't watched a single episode of Sesame Street in his life!
-He is incredibly sensitive, and has the most sweetest of hearts.
-He freaks at the idea of taking a bath in someone else's bathtub other than his.
-He is so stinkin smart! He isn't even 2 yet and he already knows his letters!!
-He likes to feel a part of the action. So whatever we are doing or noises we are making - he follows our lead. If we are laughing, he participates with fake laughing. If we make a noise with our mouth, he mimics that same noise. It's adorable, and fun to see what he comes up with!

Country Strong, or Country Skinny?

2011-01-16T13:25:00.009-08:00

Last night, I saw the movie Country Strong, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund (hubba hubba).

I had heard mixed reviews on the movie - but I LOVED it. It reminded me of Walk The Line (based on Johnny and June Cash), which is one of my all time favorite movies. I loved Country Strong for it's sweet little moments, for the spectacular music, and for the mixed up, and messed up, love rectangle. It was a sad movie, yet unusually uplifting for me at the same time. I think they did a good job at depicting what fame is like and the struggles that it involves, and how much it can change (and damage) one's life. I liked the message(s) that it portrayed and the story lines used in which to portray them.

Don't be afraid to fall in love.
It's the only thing that matters in life.

I also loved Garrett Hedlund in it.

I think it's fair for me to say that I have a huge crush on him, but I'm not saying that in a disrespecful way to my Jeffrey, because Garrett Hedlund reminded me EXACTLY of my Jeffrey!! The way he carried himself throughout the movie, and his facial expressions - point on. The way that he knew himself so well, fought for what he believed in, and was such a good man - point on. His loving expression and smirk that he would give to Leighton Meester throughout the film as well as his love for the simple life - point on. His classic tough guy exterior, yet once you get under his shell, you find out that really he's all soft and cuddly teddy bear inside - TOTAL JEFFREY. I loved that part of it, I think that's one of the reasons why I loved this movie so much, because it reminded me of my man!

Also, the soundtrack is absolutely KILLER, and I cannot wait to purchase it because you better believe it will be played on repeat!!

Something else that was inspirational for me was: Gwyneth Paltrow's figure. Duh, I think we all at some point in time have looked at her and said a 3 letter word: WOW. It's a little ridiculous how perfect her figure is. However, I found it interesting when I found out that she had to GAIN 20 pounds for this movie. If you've seen the movie, you may be just as surprised as I was to have found this out. What?? That's you with 20 EXTRA pounds of "padding" on you Gwyn?? Hmm, I'm wondering how healthy she really is/was prior to this film because as I was watching it - my jaw was dropped in awe, and jealousy, of how toned and perfect her body was!! Apparently, from an article I read, Gwyneth was talking about how hard it was for her to gain that weight and how all she wanted to do was work out! Hmm...I'm sorry, but I just don't feel bad for you.

These pictures may not show it as well as the movie did - but I certainly don't think she needs to lose 20 pounds. Do you? They wanted her to put on weight for the film to make it look more "real" since she was portraying a star suffering with addiction and coming out of rehab. It wouldn't have looked as believable for her to be so thin after just leaving rehab. However, in my opinion, she still is so thin!!! Oh well...this is just me on my soapbox, but Gwyn, I don't think you need to lose that weight.

This is a perfect example as to why our society is so screwed up with our body images: it's unrealistic and probably unachievable!! So, before signing off today, I'm just going to verbally remind myself, and all of you, that it is her JOB to look this good. As an actress, musician, star, etc part of your job is to work out 20+ hours a week and have an insane figure and eat next to nothing. Well, thank goodness I am going to take that pressure off my myself right now since my job isn't anywhere close to a Hollywood starlet! :) 20 pounds of padding - bring it on!!! I love my hot chocolate, nutella and queso splurges and I don't know if I could give that up!

P.S. My favorite song from the movie. Watch his face towards her, and listen to the lyrics. :)

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

2010-12-25T10:40:00.003-08:00

The Word became flesh & made His dwelling among us. - John 1:14

How Many Kings - Downhere

What Books Am I Reading?

2010-12-23T06:46:00.005-08:00

When I read Julie Metz’s PERFECTION, I inhaled every word! I loved it, not just for the raw facts of Julie’s ordeal but even more for the lyrical, insightful point of view from which it was written. Julie writes close to the bone as she searches for meaning and embraces the beauty of an imperfect life.

—Sarah Landis, Editor

(I know, I realize it's a little late for me to be jumping on the bandwagon, but I must read it before the movie with Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattinson comes out in 2011!)

"For pure story, this colorful, headlong tale of a Depression-era circus simply can't be beat. Heroes, villains, romance, a wild-animal stampede! Big fun from page One."

—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly: "Best & Worst 2007" (Entertainment Weekly )

"At its finest, Water for Elephants resembles stealth hits like 'The Giant's House,' by Elizabeth McCracken, or 'The Lovely Bones,' by Alice Sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowd-pleasing romanticism. . . . Black-and-white photographs of real American circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed throughout the novel, and they brilliantly evoke the dignified power contained in the quieter moments of this unusual brotherhood. . . . With a showman's expert timing, [Gruen] saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of Americana into an enchanting escapist fairy tale."

—New York Times Book Review (New York Times Book Review)

The Mona Lisa Smile Complex

2010-12-22T17:54:00.012-08:00

“In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.”

This week I have been in the process of (re)watching "Mona Lisa Smile" before bed. Last night, when I finished it - I had a sudden revelation. You see, after having watched this movie multiple times, and pondering the message, I think it's safe to say that many women experience this "in between", this longing, this conflict, that I am now calling the "Mona Lisa Smile Complex".

The movie takes place in the early 1950's (1953 to be exact) on the campus of an all girls’ university, Wellesley College. It is the era of the American Housewife, in which a woman’s first duty is to her husband and family. The movie explores life through femininism, marriage and education. The lead character, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), is the art history professor at Wellesley. After quickly realizing that her students see their education simply as a way to pass their time until they are married, Katherine is appalled and she challenges them to reject the norm, and follow a path of their own choosing. She dares (demands) her students to think for themselves and go beyond their traditional views. Katherine saw the potential for these girls, the "brightest women in the country", and couldn't believe how, or why, they would so gladly accept their role in society to be nothing more than a dutiful housewife and homemaker in which it was their job to work hard and boost their husband up the corporate ladder. She encouraged and prompted them to explore their potential for change, rather than dutifully accept the traditional views of an institution where education was viewed merely as a stepping stone to getting married.

This movie was all about choice, and our lives consist of what choices we are going to make. These choices impact our lives in one way or another, as was the case in Mona Lisa Smile when what they chose grounded them to the roles they played in society. Back then, women lived in a world full of rules and regulations. Conforming to the ideal was expected and being an individual was not. The fact that these women were at a great university was good, but ultimately a woman’s role was in the house. She had no major decisions to make… she just needed to be a good wife. In Mona Lisa Smile, these women created choices and made them, which was "forbidden" for that time period.

The conflict that I think most women experience at some point in their lives is this issue of feminine independence, that the movie so greatly explores. I know I have dealt with it. It's this "in between", this conflict or battle that takes place in my mind/heart. Maybe it's just me - I am certainly an independent woman, a free thinker and free spirit. But at the same time, I believe in love and marriage and in playing the supportive and loving wife role. What I find conflicting is that even though it's not the 1950's anymore, I still feel like there are all of these expectations as to how a woman should act, what she should do, what her career path should (or shouldn't) be, how she should love, and what the relationship should look like. Maybe it's just Texas, maybe it's just the south. But I find myself on a different spectrum with each passing day! I am definitely in this "in between", Mona Lisa Smile Complex place right now. I want to be like Katherine, and defy the odds and do something extraordinary yet unordinary. I want to be out of the "norm" and do something out of the box - something of MY choosing! I am all about pursuing MY dreams, finding out MY perfect career path, doing what I want to do. And it is sooo wonderfully amazing. But, at the same time, my heart is torn! Like I mentioned earlier, I want to be married one day. I want to be a wife. And these "MY" things will have to change. Basically, one day I am all about the "Miss Independent", don't give up pursuing a dream or a goal for someone else and wanting to find that perfect "happy place" for myself. Then the next day I am all about this wonderful idea of love and finding it and recognizing that it's about sacrifices and compromises and so much more than "me".

This whole Mona Lisa Smile Complex is fascinating to me. And I'm blogging about it now, simply to put this idea out there. I certainly don't have the answers, Lord knows that. I'm one of the confused ones! Clearly! But I hope one day, I am able to have it figured out - and that I'm not regretful over it. I want to be certain with whatever path I choose, and I want to find joy in it! And, I know it's possible to be able to have both paths - I just want to find that perfect balance. I think, since I'm playing both fields, if I were able to find the perfect balance, then I would be perfectly happy with it!!

Playlist.

2010-12-19T20:30:00.003-08:00

Here is a playlist. If any of you are like me, and actually working this week, then you may need this. :) Enjoy!

(No, sadly, it's not Christmas related. I figured, with all of my Christmas posts, I would refrain from forcing you to listen to my 150,000 favorite Christmas songs.)

Vote Coach Mike Sherman!

2010-12-17T05:16:00.001-08:00

VOTE VOTE VOTE for Mike Sherman for Coach of the Year! WHOOP!!

Lowment.

2010-12-11T14:00:00.003-08:00

My lowment from this weekend - Purchasing 4 Sprinkles cupcakes on Friday and having selfishly consumed them all by 8:30 AM this morning.

Hey, it's Ok!

2010-12-09T12:26:00.003-08:00

...to believe your horoscope only on the good days.
...to spike the eggnog.
...to eat snow, pollution be damned.
...to never, ever want one of those annoying couple-y emails accounts. Just say no to we-mail.
...to wear your shades even when it's cloudy outside. A little chic privacy, please.
...to send out a Christmas card with a picture of your supercute, smiling, Santa-hat-wearing...pet. Absolutely, you can be that girl. Own it.
...to make everyone feel your head when you think you have a fever.
...to go shopping with the intention of buying gifts for others, but instead come home with only items for yourself. There's always next time, right?
...to love Frito pie. Chili served on a bed of Fritos & covered with cheese, Texas elementary school cafeteria style? It is OK.

Tis The Season.

2010-12-06T22:06:00.014-08:00

Tis The Season.... for wonderful holiday movies and music!!

What are your MUST HAVES holiday movies and music? I have a few favorite Christmas movies and albums that I just cannot go without!!

It's A Wonderful Life with dear Jimmy Stewart. This is a Lukefahr family tradition - we watch it on Christmas Eve (before bed). This movie has been ingrained in me since I was a little girl, and it has come to be one of my favorite movies ever! Such a classic, and the opportunity at a second chance at life! (Thank you Clarence).

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! Definitely was parked at a stop light today and a cute college aged girl was jamming to this song at full blast. I just couldn't help but look at her and smile. It reminded me of my college days - this was definitely always playing on repeat during the winter, and it's a song I can't sing without thinking of a few of my closest friends from college! (Shout out to Bernie, Jenn and Paige for bringing me so much joy and delight through this song!!)

Seven words: All I Want For Christmas Is You.

Do you know what else is one of my favorite things ever? CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS!! Are there any family traditions you have that you would like to share?? Leave me some blog love by commenting!

Drumroll for Christmas!!

2010-11-30T08:43:00.023-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, everyone can look forward to CHRISTMAS!!!! And, we all know what that means! I am geared up, excited and focused on anything and everything Christmas!

I am without a doubt 100% listening to Christmas music every chance I get! It's playing on my computer at work all.day.long! It's the only thing I will listen to in my car - I go back and forth between Sunny 99.1 and 89.3 KSBJ, BECAUSE IT'S CHRISTMAS!!

Last night, my roommate and I spent the evening together decorating our Christmas tree and setting it up! Apparently, I decorated for Christmas WAY too early (I didn't know!!) and put most of the Christmas decorations out in the middle of November! To my credit, it's not that I was trying to act as if Thanksgiving had already happened, it is more that I didn't really have many Thanksgiving decorations....but as I get older and more settled down, I am sure that will change! Today, I even printed out the 25 Days of Christmas schedule from ABC Family's website. I am just so elated!!

I love Christmas and this time of year so much! Christmas is filled with so much tradition and celebration! Celebrating Christ's birth and His love for us and just receiving the most precious gift ever to be given! Also, I love the silly things that come with this holiday season and the winter time! I love the weather- the crisp, cold, clean air. I love decorating and getting "in the spirit"! Christmas is just such a happy time! I love having a reason to get together with family and friends and host parties, attend parties, and maybe even throw on a tacky Christmas sweater every so often. I love drinking hot cocoa, watching Christmas movies, and snuggling under a warm blanket curled up next to the fire. I also think it's so fun (but also can be stressful) to buy gifts for my loved ones and maybe those of us that aren't so fortunate. Plus, who doesn't love getting a few gifts of their own?

Speaking of gifts - I figured I would create a sample of the "Wishlist" of things I am asking for Christmas this year. I know sometimes it can be so hard to think about what to ask for sometimes, so I figured I would give you a little preview to maybe help get your brain ticking! If you are anything like me, sometimes you just need help with ideas! Maybe you will feel inspired!

My Wishlist for Christmas:

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I love these plates from Anthropologie. When I saw them, I immediately had to have them! There are 4 plates to this set and each one has a different "lady in-waiting" design! I want to use them as decoration, possibly by hanging them up! I'm sure I could think of different ways I can incorporate them decoratively. I just really liked them and thought they were unique and different!

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I have been eyeing this must have quilt for over a year now. I love it in the Porcelain Blue and would want the Full/Queen or King size.

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The beloved Kindle, of course! I sure do love my books, and as hard as I think it may be to convert to reading digitally, I think overall it will be a good conversion!

I am really excited about getting to read this book. There has been a lot of publicity about it and George W. is currently on a book tour promoting this book. He had an interview special with Matt Lauer on NBC, and he was on Bill O'Reilly and Oprah as well. Surely, and hopefully, you saw at least one of these interviews!! I am just really intrigued about finding out more about his Presidency, his thoughts behind decisions he made, and whatever else I can learn from behind closed doors! Sweet moment at the close of his NBC interview with Matt Lauer was when George W. said this, "I'm comfortable knowing that I gave it my all, that I love America, and it was an honor to serve."

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I am always on the lookout for a good clutch. I saw this, thought it was adorable (and really affordable) and knew I couldn't resist!!

On a practical/not too exciting side:

A paper shredder! I am all about these things - and have been known to bring STACKS of mail and private documents with me to work and then proceeded to hog the shredder on my floor while shredding all of these documents! What is strange is that I had 2 shredders that my parents gave me my junior year of college (I guess they were leftovers that they no longer used) and I never used them. But once I graduated, I plugged one in and used it maybe 3 or 4 times total and then the next time I tried to use it, IT WAS BROKEN. And the 2nd shredder - well I have no idea what happened to that one. I probably was too lazy to bring them both home with me after graduating that I left it there. Boo. So funny how things work out. Here I was, with a surplus of paper shredders - yet I didn't even take advantage of it. In retrospect, I really wish I had!!

There is a shoe store in Houston, Fleet Feet, that I have heard such great things about! I have yet to go, but I figured I would ask for a date to Fleet Feet (mom - we gotta go!) and a pair of shoes from here seeing as I am about a year overdue in getting new shoes! Ack! Fleet Feet offers specialized service and support to runners, walkers - fitness enthusiasts - anyone looking for a good pair of shoes! As their website says, their "Fitlosophy is to help you find the right ''FIT'' in every facet of your active lifestyle". I'm kind of excited about getting this personalized attention specifically for my feet and working out style!

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I don't have a fully stocked kitchen like some of you may have. I realize that I am not in a position in life where I necessarily need a fully stocked kitchen, but I thought a Crock Pot was something I needed and could get great use out of! I imagine myself using this to cook several meals, and then being able to eat the leftovers for the rest of the week! Crock Pot's seem to be pretty easy to use and recipe friendly, so I am excited about this potential gift! Macy's had a really good deal on Crock Pot's several weeks ago... I am hoping my mother was able to purchase this when it was on such a special!! If any of you are Crock Pot lovers out there, recipes will be kindly taken and received by me!!

What is on your Christmas list? I'd love to know!!

Last Suppers With Friends.

2010-11-19T17:13:00.003-08:00

It's been over two years that I have been graduated from college and working in Corporate Houston America. That being said, over the past 2 years there have been many changes taking place around me - both good, and sometimes bad.

I have had the privilege of making new friends and building upon those friendships and of deepening and strengthening old friendships. It's been a very special couple of years - our lives are constantly in a state of change! People are getting married, having babies, starting new relationships, and maybe ending old ones. People are also going and coming - making Houston their home or having to leave Houston for something else, new opportunities, jobs, etc.

Sadly, some of the recent changes I have been dealing with is two good friends have decided to leave Houston and make another city their home. Within two weeks of one another, two of my dear friends left me!! Savannah, a new friend I had made post-college, moved to Fort Worth where she got a job transfer. Joanna moved literally one week later, on the following Friday, to the marvelous New York City! She is pursuing one of her dreams in getting to live and play in NYC, and was fortunate enough to also have a job transfer there with the same company. Although she may be gone now, I have full hope that she will return to Houston in a year - this is where she belongs. :) (Fingers crossed!)

I put together a short slideshow of what I called my "Last Supper" with each of these friends as well as a few random other pictures. Both of these girls mean so much to me and added something special and unique to my life. It's hard to have change sometimes, and even harder to see friends leave. I know they are doing what's right for them - but that doesn't mean I can't mope and pout and have a blog post while doing it!!

Picture slideshow made with Smilebox