expanding our family...

...with a furry friend: Frank. :)

Here is Frank's short life story (he's lived a lot of life in 5 months!):

-Frank was dropped off at a church. A kind man who lives near the church traps strays, gets them fixed, and then releases them. He found a tiny kitty and contacted a rescue group who said he was too little to take just yet. Frank lived with this man and his wife for a week or two until he wasn't too teeny tiny to lose his man parts.
-Frank got all fixed up and taken to Petsmart to be put up for adoption.
-I go on Sunday to volunteer with kitties (alas, I made it a year without actually bringing one home) and send Bobby a text and picture saying this is the strangest cat I've ever seen:


-Frank is terrified at Pestmart.
-The following Sunday I warn Bobby that if said kitty is still there, there's a 90% chance I'll bring him home. Frank was not there.
-Frank got adopted and then returned a few days later because the people were allergic (seriously?! How do you not already know you're allergic to cats?).
-I emailed cat lady (contact at rescue group) about Frank. She can't keep him at her house and must take him back to Petsmart.
-We go to California for a wedding and I worry that Frank will be adopted before we get back.
-Frank is so scared/anxious/unsure that he licks his nose too much and the cat lady can't take him to Petsmart.
-Frank is better a week later. We go to thrilling Wichita Falls for the night where again I worry that he is going to get adopted before we can see him.
-We go to see him on our way home from WF and pick him up the next morning after church.

The end.

-I swear Frank is part-squirrel, part chipmunk, and part something-with-a-ridiculously-long-tail-and-big-ears.
-Frank kept his name because Bobby thought it was funny.
-We are now outnumbered and Traveler is still afraid of the two cats. Can you say "never a dull moment at our house"? :)

be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it all

our wedding!

It happened!!!!!! :) And here are a few pictures as well as a phenomenal slide show that I've already watched a handful of times today:

http://lightlyphoto.com/blog/mary-bobby-married-at-christ-chapel-community-church-and-colonial-country-club-ft-worth/

Thank you to our wonderful friends and family for making that night the most magical and special thing we've ever been a part of...it went far above our expectations and I had more fun than I've ever had in my life!

love for my sweet mama

One of the song choices at church this morning couldn't have come at a more perfect time; here is the chorus which spoke right to my heart:

Oh No, You Never Let Go
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

This week stands to contain both the highest of highs and lowest of lows thus far in my life. I think I'll hum this tune to myself all day tomorrow as we wait for the amazing doctors to work their magic on my sweet mama.

If you're the praying kind, my family would be most grateful for any you care to offer up.

m and m

To say I'm thankful for these two amazing friends isn't enough. Blessed, thankful, forever grateful and appreciative just begin to scratch the surface. I got to spend a full day with each of these lovelies as they stepped in to help me finish wedding tasks so that I can go be by sweet mama's side for two days (those two days just happen to be the week of our wedding-hello, stress and expletives and tears and no sleep and endless praying). Anyway, sweet Meredeth and Margaret took the reins as wedding planners and ran around with me in the 256 degree heat trying to finish things on the never-ending wedding to-do list. Meredeth went to 400 stores with me to find a rehearsal dinner dress, she tried on dresses that they didn't have in my size just so I could see what they looked like on, she befriended the saleslady in order to make sure my overnighted dress would get here in time, and she made me laugh the whole time, which was very much needed. Margaret and I went to a few less stores looking for jewelry and other day-of necessities. ;) We managed to find multiple pieces that would work and then came back and worked on the ceremony program for hours. Man, she is ah-mazing on the computer! It was so nice to get those things accomplished with friends alongside for the fun/stress.

More important than all of the items bought and tasks scratched off the lists, these two souls are the truest definition of what a friend is. They stepped in and required that I accept their help, they've made me laugh and they've listened. They've shown love in the most outstanding way and I will forever remember that while in the midst of heartache and uncertainty combined with the craziness and excitement that comes with finalizing wedding plans, my friends displayed loved that I've never seen before.

a cat and her cardboard

**Disclaimer: I realize this post puts me fully into the category of being a cat lady.**

I'm ok with that because:
1. I love her.
2. Her love affair with biting/playing in/jumping in/hiding in it is mind-boggling.
3. She has made packing a very entertaining event, which is a miracle.
4. I can't truly be a cat lady if I'm getting married in a month, right???

P.S.-Instagram is the coolest app!!

hello, home

She is ours! Isn't she cute:
We're running out of things to sign away, but for now this will suffice as signing our lives away.

The first child is going to the band for our reception.

The second child is going to the wedding photographer...really, the wedding photo album/book.

At this rate we're going to need to have more kids than we've discussed.

because i aspire to be snow white

I want to be this woman:

tastes of summer

Hello, summer: Edamame Succotash
1 slice center-cut bacon
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped sweet onion
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons torn basil

Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; coarsely chop bacon.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Melt butter in drippings in pan. Add onion; sauté 3minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn kernels; sauté for 3 minutes or until lightly charred. Add edamame, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through bell pepper); cook 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon and basil.

*This is a light dish that is good on hot summer nights (you can eat it hot or cold) and also is a winner if you've got fitting into a very important white dress on the brain.

(from Cooking Light)

Here's another one I just made (doubled it) to take to a work luncheon tomorrow:

Strawberry Field Salad
1 (5-ounce) bag spring mix salad greens
1 1/2 cups strawberries, halved (about 1 pint)
1/2 cup prechopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Sesame Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Place spring mix in a large serving bowl and top with strawberries, nuts and blue cheese. Pour vinaigrette over salad, toss to coat ingredients well and serve.

1/4 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Asian (dark) sesame oil

Pour salad dressing into a small mixing bowl and whisk in honey, soy sauce and sesame oil.

(from The Dinner Doctor)

sacred

In our young couples class at church, we've been going through a study based on the book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. The idea behind the book and the group study is to ponder the question "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"

That's quite a question to ponder. Particularly at the halfway point in an engagement. But I have ended up LOVING this study and am so thankful for the timing of it in our lives and our relationship. The study wipes away the romanticized notion of a marriage and instead talks about growing with your spouse and growing your relationship in order to bring God glory. Through this class, Bobby and I had many opportunities to talk with others couples, hear their insight and experiences in their marriages, reflect on our own strengths and weaknesses, and really look at how we help balance each other out and how we can honor each other. I could probably write a lot more about the study, but alas it is Sunday evening and everything I've put off doing over the weekend is now staring me in the face. Boo. My favorite thing from the whole study was a prayer suggested during class this morning: "Lord, how do I love my spouse today like they've never been loved before and never will be loved again?" I feel so honored to be the person who gets to pray that over my sweet boy.

they said it's not broken...

Buuuuut, it ain't right.

In fact, it's a bit crooked.

This is the result of changing poses in yoga-going from downward dog to warrior 1. To quote my dear friend's blog, um....seriously?! I've done that change 100 times without injury.

Sorry to those of you reading this who are grossed out by feet.

just a preview...

Yep.

Thank goodness for Photoshop (we now have a decent copy of this picture where he's actually looking at the camera...he's pretty).

Yes, there were laughable pictures of me as well, but after all, this is my blog and I chose to not share those with the world. :)

Thank goodness we did an informal practice shoot with a very patient friend...otherwise we wouldn't have known how important drinks will be before the real engagement photo session. After all, we're basically agreeing to give our photographer our first child in exchange for pictures and a wedding album, so we need to be relaxed and get some good shots.

Thank goodness for love.

ICE: you are not my friend

Well, I just got official word that there will be no school tomorrow. That would be day 3. Day 1 is always exciting and much appreciated. Beyond that, we in education start waving goodbye to those precious end-of-year holidays that are so desperately needed. Now it seems we'll also be waving goodbye to at least one summer day...perhaps more if the darn sun doesn't come out and start melting some of this ice!

Day 1:
-made muffins for breakfast (got ingredients the day before in anticipation of being home to make them)
-looked at potential honeymoon spots...this may not have been such a great idea...pictures of beaches and imagining laying there soaking up the sun with a frozen beverage in hand...yeah, that idea gets sort of ruined when you attempt to look out the window, but can't because of all the frost and condensation on it from outside
-listened to Mazie meow to go outside, only to open the door for her, have her look at the snow outside the front door, and run into the bedroom. Like 50 times. Can cats have amnesia?
-once we'd bored ourselves of the TV, we decided to try and venture to 7-11 for a movie and snacks, most importantly to get out for a little bit
-bought horrible gas station snacks (and ate them!!), adult beverages and 2 Red Box movies
-made spaghetti squash for dinner
-painted my nails
-attempted to watch Anchorman...I just couldn't do it
-watched The Social Network instead
-used only cold water since the hot water pipes are broken at the apartment complex (=no shower yesterday)
-tried negotiating with a photographer...I'd say I was 60% successful

Day 2:
-slept in without interruptions
-cleaned out and wiped down the inside of the fridge
-decided to venture to Target for some groceries, and again, to get out of the house. Realized Target was not a terrific idea because the parking lot was one giant sheet of ice. Whimpered about parking and having to back out on ice. Finally decided to park far away from all cars in an open area where I could just pull forward to leave. Shopped in the 1/2 dark for the first time (electricity is evidently a precious commodity in North Texas right now, thank goodness it hasn't affected my apartment).
-went to the gym to shower. Yes, I had all the time in the world to work out but was seriously lacking motivation. So instead I just enjoyed their hot water and hair that no longer looks liked I emerged from the Gulf oil spill.
-Signed my first child away to a photographer. Well, really more to the wedding album she'll be making for us.
-Attempted to do my taxes. I didn't like what they said I owed, so I'll try again later.
-Started calling my work phone tree peeps
-I'd pour myself a glass of wine right now if I weren't going to pick up my sweet boy from downtown in about 30 minutes

Day 3:
I'm predicting:
-an actual gym visit that includes some exercise and sweat (and probably a hot shower since I'm doubting anything can be done about the underground pipes here in the 14 degree weather)
-catching up on 3 weeks worth of People magazines
-Modern Family season 1 marathon (it's ok to be jealous if Santa didn't bring this to you)
-banging my head against the wall
-creating a list of recipes to make for an entire month in an attempt to curb my lack of inspiration cooking rut
-mixed feelings if I get "the call" for day 4

recipe revamp

Before about a month ago, I was not a fan of chicken salad. That was due to a star ingredient: mayonnaise. Mayo grosses me out. I was able to find a good recipe that used a combination of mustards, so that appeased once or twice (see: Barefoot Contessa). Then my Bible study leader brought this little ditty for our group and I fell in love:

Chicken Salad
4c. diced or shredded chicken (pull apart 1 rotisserie chicken)
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. chopped water chestnuts
1/2 c. sliced almonds
seasoning salt or salt and pepper to taste
<1 tsp ground ginger (I recommend using fresh ginger)

Combine above ingredients and top with dressing (see below).

Dressing (Combine the following):

1 1/2 - 2 c. Brianna's Poppyseed dressing
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
dash of Tabasco (optional)

I omitted the ginger and Tabasco; I'm a fan of neither. I used 1/2 cup of the dressing and that was plenty for me; I know others like their chicken salad creamier than I do. This is a good and easy recipe for those of us who have to pack a lunch in lieu of eating elementary school cafeteria "food."