so long 2012

Where did 2012 go?  How is it already almost over?!  Is it possible that the earth has begun to revolve at a quicker rate?

Last New Year's Eve, Byron and I smooched at the stroke of midnight and welcomed 2012 in Milledgeville.  The beginning of the year was filled with wedding planning, my first teaching job, and running my first races.  On May 19th, we tied the knot at the church I grew up in and flew to Aruba for some honeymoonin'.  Byron and I moved into our first apartment in Macon for the summer and we wakeboarded most-every weekend.  By the the of July I was offered a teaching position and gratefully moved back in with my parents while Byron stayed in Macon until late September.  After months of prayer and job applications Byron was offered a new job and, alas, we were able to move back in together in a city that stuck our fancy.  Running a half marathon on Thanksgiving Day meant I had successfully conquered my 2012 New Year's Resolution without dying in the process!

This year has been wonderful, crazy, unexpected, and filled with countless blessings.  I look forward to 2013 -- I already have a few resolutions in mind -- but look forward to the last 10 hours of 2012.

Blessings in 2013 -- Happy New Year's Eve, Y'all!

a very merry Christmas

I'm feeling overwhelmed with joy after this Christmas season.  Byron and I have had a crazy few days running from house to house with our pups and presents and food, but spending time with our families and friends has been an incredible blessing.  

My cousins Katie & Lindsey

Our Christmas celebrations began with my extended family on Sunday with a Christmas lunch and some time around the Christmas tree at my Grandparents' house.  With already-full bellies we arrived to Byron's parents' for dinner and tree decorating.  All of Byron's brothers were in town this Christmas -- it was wonderful!!

Byron's parents & brothers

Decorating the tree

On Monday, my brothers and Mom joined Byron and me at Grace for the Christmas Eve service.  The sermon was Christ centered [reading Luke 2] and the music was powerful.  I loved more than anything, that it was mostly a worship service -- what else should it be on Christmas Eve?!  After church, Byron and I headed to his parents' for dinner, presents, and A Christmas Story. 

Christmas Eve

Byron's gifts!

We had our first Christmas morning as a married couple bright and early.  In fact, we had to wake the puppies up with their stockings -- Mook immediately began chewing on his candy cane bones, but Bridget just sniffed at them and went right back to sleep!  Byron and I had a wonderful time opening our presents to each other, sitting in our own living room, in front of our tree, wearing Christmas PJs.  Before heading to my parents', we were able to cuddle up on the couch to drink a cup of coffee, and watch some of The Grinch.  

wakeboard vest on & attaching his new bindings!

At my parents' we ate breakfast, unwrapped gifts, watch a non-Christmas movie, and ate dinner before going back to Byron's parents' for a little more time with his family before heading home to finish The Grinch and read the Christmas Story together.

We had an incredible first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. with our families and look forward to many, many more! 

Christmas Gifts

How crazy is it that today is Christmas Eve!?  Where did December go?  Having had such a fast-paced month, it's nice to take a few moments to sit in front of our Christmas tree to relax.

Although there is a blanket of presents with bows under our tree, let's not forget the reason for this holiday.  The best gift we've ever/will ever receive has already been given to us. And it wasn't wrapped in pretty paper, but in cloths and placed in a manger.  And that precious baby wasn't sent to live a glamorous life.  He came to die for us so that we might have eternal life.  Whoa.  Talk about an undeserving gift!

So even though Christmas morning is exciting and we all love giving and getting those sweet gifts, remember that they're only things, and that you've already been given the greatest Christmas gift.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 

he is the Messiah, the Lord.  

This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Luke 2:11-12

Merry Christmas!

crazy & unexpected

Life is crazy.  It'd be a misleading statement if I added "right now" to the end of that sentence [Is right now not the only time life is crazy?! Whattt?].  I'll be honest -- "and unexpected" is a more-appropriate ending.

Life is crazy and unexpected.

Can anyone honestly disagree with that? [no, you can't.]

We plan for things to go a certain way, and they never turn out as we thought they would.  Our schedules are jam-packed with times to be places and see people, and somehow those don't always work out either.  The items on our to-do lists we that write and re-write, sit impatiently waiting to be marked off.

And then there's the things we don't plan for at all.  The things that come out of the blue without us having any awareness that they might happen.  Things like your my transmission deciding it needs to be replaced unexpectedly.  And events like the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday.  We don't plan for those things.  In fact, we hope and pray that they never happen.

But, unfortunately, they do happen.  Because we live in a fallen world and because God has blessed us with the gift of free will.  And the combination of the two can be devastating.  So we get sad, angry, and upset when bad things happen.

Satan has a tight grasp on our world: influencing the flimsy in faith to act against the One who loves them; manipulating our minds to believe things lies that aren't true; festering insecurities in our hearts; whispering in our ears that Sunday mornings are for sleeping in and that getting on Facebook is more important than spending time in God's Word.

So what do we do in these times when Satan is attacking us from every angle?  There are a lot of options.  Here are the two I find most beneficial:

1. Cling.  [to God and to what is good]

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  

I cling to your right hand, for it upholds me.  

Psalm 63: 7-8  

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

Romans 12:9

2. Pray.  [always and about everything]

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.  

Romans 12:12  

Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.  

With thankful hearts, offer up your prayers and requests to God.  

Philippians 4:6

Although we may not ever understand why things happen the way they do, we can always rely on the Holy Spirit to comfort us with unmatchable peace.  When all we want to do is cry our eyes out, Jesus waits with open arms to comfort us.  Our God is great, and although the world we live in does not always reflect His glory, His love for us is  unsurpassable and He waits for us to run to His embrace.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

my sweet Christmas pup. 

and Mook -- such a stud.

Although I'm sad to see the beautiful colors of fall piled on the ground, leaving their trees bare as the cold weather sweeps in, I am incredibly excited for the Christmas season.  Last weekend we made a trip up to the Kinsey Family Farm to pick out our Christmas tree, where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and some hot boiled peanuts -- gotta love Christmas in the south!  

Each Thanksgiving my Grandmama gives us Christmas ornaments.  Since we haven't gotten the ornaments from our parents yet, these are the first 'memory' ornaments on our tree this year.  I couldn't be more pleased with our stockings -- I love them.   They're huge, so I'm going to need a lot of coal to fill Byron's!  

I know, I know, Christmas isn't all about gifts and Santa and decorations and all the things commercials and stores advertise it to be.  I know.  [There will be a post on this later]  Now that that's been clarified, let me say, I really enjoy giving Christmas gifts!  I have completed about half of my shopping and as of last night, we have presents under the tree!

The first wrapped present [for Byron]

Byron and I are ecstatic to celebrate our first Christmas together with our pups and our families.  We tried to do a family picture in front of the tree, but all we got was a compilation of photos capturing . . . this bliss we call life.

Happy December!!

Earning my Turkey

Every year on the fourth Thursday in November the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon takes place.  And every year, I wondered what exactly possessed those people to wake up early and run 13.1 miles?  The day when you eat the most delicious food and express what your thankful for, why on earth would you torture yourself with a half marathon?  

Well, this year, I was one of those crazy people! Why?!

At the Expo, there was a big sign reading 'Why I run:'
Which one's mine!?

For some bizarre reason, on January 1, 2012, I made a goal, or a New Year's resolution if you will, to run a half marathon in 2012.  I can honestly tell you that I'm not sure why I made that decision.  I'd never run a race before, and quite honestly, didn't really like to run, or run often for that matter.  It wasn't a way to reach a weight loss goal or anything of the like, but simply to push myself to do something I'd never done before -- something I thought was impossible for myself.  And whatta ya know?!  I did it!

My friend Rachel decided to start her Thanksgiving with a 13.1 mile run as well:

Excited/Nervous about the run.

Byron's such a good sport -- he always wakes up early to support me in my races.  This time, because traffic was so terrible, Rachel and I jumped out of the car and left him to park while we hustled to Turner Field.  Needless to say, I was a little surprised when I saw him as we lined up in our corrals:

I wouldn't say that the course was too difficult, but I will admit that I didn't train for the 13.1 miles as I should have.  To be honest, I just got sick of running, so I lost interest and focus on training.  My time wasn't great, but I did do it, which I'm pretty happy about.

run. run. run. run. run.

Crossing the finish line.  2:42:12 [according to my watch]

finishedddd!

I saw Byron as soon as I crossed the finish line and was completely surprised when he pointed to Brad and my Mom on the other side!  Not gonna lie, I got a little emotional.  

Surprise!!! 

happy with my husband

Go, Rachel, Go!!
This girl is inspiring.

We're still alive!

Running the half marathon was definitely an experience -- not sure I wanna do it again anytime soon, or ever for that matter.  The turkey, dressing, and [Byron's] pumpkin pie sure did taste good, though!

Unfortunately, my Thanksgiving feast-induced food coma went into full effect at my grandparents' house, so I didn't get a single picture of the delicious food or my wonderful family.  But Byron and I did manage to snap a photo of the two of us to commemorate our first Thanksgiving as a married couple:

achieved goals, good shoes, blister-free feet, a loving family, delicious food, an incredible husband . . . I have a whole lot to be thankful for this year!

banana nut muffins

I absolutely love having friends visit us at our apartment.  Even though we don't have tons of space for entertaining or lots of seating, it's so much fun to host!  Maybe it will be even better once we finish start decorating!

Cal and Ashley are our overnight guest guinea pigs.  We look forward to the weekends they spend with us, like this weekend!  I love cooking for people, especially good friends.  Whilst I love cooking [anything], my favorite meal is breakfast.  So naturally, that's one of my favorite meals to cook.  

Whenever Byron and I spend weekends with Cal and Ashley, we always enjoy a nice big breakfast together.  Last weekend was no different when Banana Nut Muffins were added to the menu -- Mmmmm!

Banana Nut Muffin Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda OR 3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
ground cinnamon

(makes 12 muffins)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.  Place muffin liners in a 12 count muffin pan.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.  Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter mixture while continuously mixing the batter together.  Then add the flour mixture, pouring it 1/3 at a time.  Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.  Add in the bananas and continue mixing.  The batter will look curdled -- don't worry!  Once the bananas are combined and mixed well, use a rubber spatula or large spoon to fold in the nuts.

Evenly distribute the muffin batter into the muffin cups.  Sprinkle cinnamon on each muffin.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the muffins pass the toothpick test (Insert a toothpick into a muffin -- the muffins are finished when the toothpick is clean when removed from the muffin.).  Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before serving.

Variation: Use cinnamon roasted almonds instead of pecans.

Enjoy!

24 - a birthday of sprinkles and running

If my birthday is an indication of how my 24th year will be, it's going to be incredible.  I couldn't have asked for or planned a better birthday!

On Friday, one of my students [with her mom's help] surprised me with homemade red velvet cupcakes.  And, they were covered in sprinkles, which means she was paying attention when I told them last week about what would make the perfect cupcake!

My wonderful husband planned a perfect day for me, filled with running, family and friends, and yummy food, and beginning as soon as the sun peaked over the horizon.  We ran the Flap Jack Dash; a 5k that rewarded us with pancakes, bacon, hot chocolate and coffee afterwards.  It was SO cold, but a lot of fun. Byron doesn't particularly like running, so I can't express how much it means to me that he ran a race with me on my birthday.  And surprisingly, we both won medals for our age groups! Haha, fooled them.

After relaxing for a portion of the afternoon, we met for dinner with some wonderful friends.  We headed to the bowling alley after dinner, then home to play some Family Business and eat birthday cake.

@ Goldfish

such beautiful friends.

Let the Mob Wars begin.

[Oh, and Byron built that awesome coffee table!!!]

And Cal and Ashley made me a cake!

SPRINKLES!!!!

Oh happy day!!  A great beginning to my 24th year!!

Thankful Friday

Yesterday was not a very Thankful Thursday for me, so I'm redeeming my grouchiness from yesterday with a 'Thankful Friday' post.  

Yesterday was just one of those days.  Actually, scratch that; it was one of those weeks.  You know what kind of week I'm talking about.  The ones when the weather's just kind of 'bleh' and by Thursday night you're mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted.  Was your week super stressful? No.  Did something terrible happen? No.  But by Thursday, you're ready for the week to be over because it's just been 'bleh.'

I wasn't feeling very thankful yesterday [maybe that's my problem -- why my week was nothing to write home about], yet I know I have things to be thankful for; lots of things.  and people, too.  So it's been one of those nights when it seems the only thing I can do is go to God.

To ask Him for peace or patience or strength? No.

Just to thank Him.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

to thank him for:
my incredible, loving husband.  grace.  a supportive group of coworkers. my students' senses of humor. forgiveness.  my puppies and their snuggles.  midweek date nights.  being 1/3 of the way done with the gifted endorsement class.  Thanksgiving Break.  loving me even though I'm completely undeserving.

Why is it so easy, even in this season of Thanksgiving, to be unthankful and inappreciative?  We have countless blessings to be thankful for, but it's like the less-than-perfect things overshadow the praiseworthy things.  How frustrating is that? Very.

My goal for myself for the next week: to focus on my blessings and to be thankful for them.  To enjoy them and praise the Lord for how graciously He loves me.  To be thankful during the week of Thanksgiving.

oh, Monday.

I left school this afternoon telling another teacher to 'have a great weekend,' to which I shook my head and thought, Man, it's only Monday and it already feels like Friday.  It's definitely one of those weeks: the ones similar to standing in the kitchen waiting on the pot of water to boil.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job and consider it an incredible blessing and the answer to numerous prayers.  My students make me laugh every day and I am grateful to work with such wonderful teachers, but anticipation of Thanksgiving Break is getting the better of me!

Thankfully -- 1 day down and 4 to go!  . . . [until break begins!]

Rule # 32

My life has been crazy lately.  Between teaching, taking the Gifted Endorsement class, Vision Cohort, training, and settling into a new apartment, it's been nearly impossible to slow down and relax.  Since Byron and I have been married, we hadn't spent a single weekend in our apartment, just the two of us, to do chores, run errands, sleep in, and what-not.  You know, the lazy weekends when you might do some laundry, clean the house, sleep in, and grocery shop?  But finally, we had a somewhat boring weekend!  [and we couldn't be happier about it!]   I've finally gained some of my sanity back.

We were able to sleep in, take the dogs to the park, and grocery shop together.
My sweet husband bought me tulips at Trader Joe's!

Beginning the weekend with cafe au-laites and ending it with homemade pizza. Mmmm!
[Thanks, Karie for the pizza stone!]

The world is constantly tugging us in multiple directions and it's easy to lose focus of what's important and our relationships and priorities suffer as a result.  Maybe that's part of the reason God thought it necessary for the Sabbath.  To have a day for worship and praise without work.  A day of rest in which you remove the stresses of your life momentarily to delight in the Lord and the blessings He's given you.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 

but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.

Exodus 20:8

I'm thankful for our weekend and for a weekday without school, but I'm challenging myself to enjoy the little things (rule number 32) as they present themselves, amidst my daily routine.  Although the Sabbath is the day of rest, I want to take time everyday to relax and rest before I over-exhaust myself [and my patience].  The Lord deserves my attention and affection before I'm running on fumes.  So does my husband. And my family.  And my students and coworkers.

Thank God for the golden orange trees He blesses us with in the Fall.  Laugh and enjoy an evening with your husband before you're ready to conk out at night.  Enjoy the blessings before they pass.

Halloween Fun

When you're a kid you look forward to Halloween all year long, right?  You impatiently await the day for candy, costumes, candy, trick or treating, candy, parties, candy, jack-o-lanterns, and candy.  Then you grow up.  Does that mean the Halloween festivities have to stop?  NO.  Why on earth would growing up mean that?!  We all know we shouldn't/can't eat the vast amounts of sugar, but that's so need for the celebrations to cease . . . they might just look a little different from when we were kids!

On Saturday I decided to run the Monster Dash 10k.  It was actually an enjoyable run.  It wasn't my best run ever, but I made felt like I finished strong.  It was definitely a reality check to tell me I need to get serious about my training.

Byron's wonderful.  Even in the cold he wake up early with me for races.

I now have my first running medal!
[Every runner was given one -- I'm not that good.]

Byron spent hours [seriously -- he stayed up until almost 5am] building a Captain America shield for the Halloween Party at his office.  The shield is intense; it flies and everything.

I had to spend Halloween night finishing up some lesson plans for my Gifted Endorsement [Boo.] but made sure to take a break and bake cookies.  Mmmm!  Let's be honest, cookies make any holiday better!

I was overjoyed to finally use my mixer for the first time!
 It doesn't matter how old you are -- sprinkles AND icing [lots of both] are always the right choice.

 Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture of the pumpkin we carved before it rotted.  So Byron recreated it on a cookie and made me photograph it immediately!  [It was a zombie pumpkin.]

October flew by.  I can't believe Halloween is already over.  One year we're going to have a Halloween party and dress up and decorate the house. . . go all out.  Maybe next year.

It's crazy that it's already November!  Thanksgiving is 3 weeks from today - whoa.  It's gonna be a crazy month: birthdays, election day, Thanksgiving, a 1/2 marathon, Black Friday, and more. . .

Here we go!

Pumpkin Fluff Recipe

What's the best things about fall [besides the cool weather, beautiful colored leaves, jack-o-lanterns, mums, apple ciders, crisp breezes. . .]?  Okay, there's a lot to love about fall.  A LOT.  Especially pumpkins!  They're great to look at and they're great to eat!

Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin breads, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecakes.  Yum.  Unfortunately, those delicious pumpkin dishes don't always help your skinny jeans fit the way you'd like.  So here you go: a pumpkin treat that won't expand your waistline and leave you feeling guilty.  Plus, you can dip apples in it!

(recipe makes about 6 cups)

Ingredients:
1 - 16 oz. can of pumpkin
1 - 6 oz. container of fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
1 - 8 oz. container of fat free Cool Whip
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
sprinkle of all spice

Directions:
Mix cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and all spice into pumpkin.  Stir in the brown sugar until completely blended.  Add the vanilla. Stir until blended.  Mix in yogurt.  Stir in cool whip until completely blended.  Refrigerate until serving.  

Serve with apple slices, bananas, or graham crackers.  Mmmmm!

the best things of fall

Good friends.  God created us to be relational beings and blesses us with incredible people to live life with . . . laughing until there are tears in your eyes, acting silly without the fear of judgement, and heart to heart conversations.  I cannot express how blessed I feel to have such wonderful friends that encourage me and bring me closer to the Lord.

As iron sharpens iron,

a friend sharpens a friend.

Proverbs 27:17

I love my friends and miss them when we're apart.  One of the reasons Byron and I love our new apartment so much is because we're in a location that allows us to see our friends and family more often.

 We're happy to have hosted our first overnight guests.  Cal and Ashley were the lucky guinea pigs!  It was a perfect weekend to be outside and enjoy all things fall.  We took a trip to a brewery, enjoyed hot apple dumplings [no photo or recipe yet, but it will be posted soon!], and pumpkins, of course!

Subtly creepy.  

After the brewery, we picked up some pumpkins & cider and the boys got busy carving.

Have you ever added apple slices to your cider beer?  You should try it. 

I still haven't taken a picture of our pumpkin yet -- whoops -- I'll take one soon!

Byron and I thought once that once we were living in the same city together, our weekends would slow down a bit.  It hasn't happened yet, though.  We're staying very busy and enjoying every minute together!