Boo!

Happy Halloween Everyone!
Bud & I had a Halloween party to go to last night and after he got home from the football game we worked fast and furious to get his creepy look all put together.

He was a zombie & his makeup took 1.5 hrs!
Toilet paper, Elmer's Glue, and paint helped create this creepy look!

I on the other hand took only about 30 minutes.
I was Wichita from Zombieland.

Bud & I like a movie called Zombieland and in the movie
there is a list of rules that you should follow in order to survive
a zombie attach.  Rule #1: Cardio, Rule #2: Double Tap, etc.
Double Tap refers to once you've killed a zombie you should tap
it twice to ensure it's actually dead.

We were a little late arriving to the party, but the reaction as Bud walked up to everyone was priceless!
No one could figure out his actual identity!

KS & TV were there...or should I say
Dexter & one of his victims?

We ran into a few other quirky characters... including Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Princess Leia, Chubaka, Dr. House & Dr. Foreman, Conner MacManus from Boondock Saints, Karate Kid, a few Ninjas...and many more!  Overall the party was a lot of fun and it's a lot of fun to see how creative people can be.

With our movie poster!

In all my glory!

I have read quite a few blogs recently about how different people do or do not spend Halloween.  I don't like to think of myself as someone who celebrates Halloween, but I am a participate.  I asked Bud tonight what he thought about it and how we would raise our kids someday.  I think we have agreed to let them dress up and have fun.  Bud & I were both able to dress up and go trick-or-treating.  Obviously, I don't want to glorify the people who use this day to celebrate harmful thoughts or actions.  

I know many people think that if you are a Christian you shouldn't participate in these activities.

My response to this is again, to each their own.  God convicts everyone differently.

So someday when I dress my child up and we parade throughout the neighborhood for goodies, do me a favor.  Don't judge me.  It's not your job & don't judge others there is a big man upstairs who will handle that for all of us someday.

On a slightly different note I have never nor will I ever dress up as the devil or allow my children to dress up as devils.  That for some reason is a little too far for me...zombies, mummies, creepy creatures...not to bad since they are all fictional.  The devil is a little to real for me.

I hope everyone had a blessed Sunday!

Bibbity-Bobbity Blah!

Have you ever had one of those days you looked forward to all week only to have it fail last minute.
That was my day.
I don't want to talk about it.
The day can't be undone, point blank.

Bud was going to work today, but they didn't need him so despite our original game plan we were blessed with a little extra time together today.
Bud had to leave around 3 to head to the UT game.
He has volunteered to work the box suites for AFROTC.
He enjoys it and today texted me from the game saying he just walked past Colt McCoy.
Apparently, they are retiring Colt's jersey today.
I may not be a UT fan, but I can say I love the spirit that the fans show.

Since I had the evening to myself I splurged and ordered in some Matt's Famous El Rancho!
Guacamole Chicken Enchiladas with Suiza Sauce and extra Sour Cream!
It was delicious and it also sent me into a delicious food coma.
I was in and out of consciousness for 3 wonderful hours.
This is good news because I woke up at 6:45 on a Saturday morning!
6:45 in the morning...not because an alarm unless you count my internal one.
I was up and doing household chores so by 5pm a nap was absolutely perfect.

Bud is hoping to be home around 10 and it'll probably take an hour to do his Zombie make-up.
We worked late last night finishing up our costumes and now all that stands in the way is the time it takes to do his makeup!

I'm dressing up as a zombie killer from Zombieland.
The front of the shirt says Rule #2

and the back as you can see says Double Tap.
Eric helped me put "bloody" zombieprints all over my shirt.

My husband is the bet partner in crime!
We always have fun on Halloween.

I can't wait to get downtown tonight and see all the creative costumes.
How exciting!!!
I hope everyone had a blessed Saturday and if not, I hope your Sunday is blessed!

Bodies...

What does this verse mean to you?

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual/reasonable act of worship". Romans 12:1

How about this one?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body".  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I know I've been told my entire life that our body is a temple and we are supposed to take care of it. 
If I think on that I realize that the best way I can take care of my body is by working out regularly
(P.S. I have been sticking to my 5x a week workouts!), eating healthy, keeping hydrated, sleeping the recommended amounts, etc.
These are the things that I know I can do to ensure my temple is in tip top shape!

If our bodies are temples what are your views on the following:  Tattoos & piercings?

I can tell you my views.  I think that each person gets to decide this one. 
Piercings hardly even seem controversial.
Tattoos on the other hand always seem to get people up in arms.
I have 2 tattoos. 

Bud & I got these for our 3 year anniversary in 2007!

This was my graduation present May 2010
My Dad drew this.
I told him, "Dad, I know how you feel about tattoos, but
that doesn't matter.   You can either draw my next tattoo
or I can get someone else to draw it".
I Love it!

My personal quote on tattooing my temple--"If my body is a temple, I'm just adding a few stain glass windows".

What do you think about tattoos and piercings?

I'm considering a new theme for my Friday Blog.
Bible Verse Friday.
I'm not a theologist, but I want to learn and what better way than to discuss?
Hopefully the more often I do this the better I'll get at it.
So I hope this makes you think and if you feel so inclined...comment.
I hope everyone had a blessed Friday!

Bats

Did you know that Austin holds the largest urban bat colony from the months of March-November?
The summer is really the best time to go see the bats as the days are longer, allowing the visual aspect to be easier.
Bud & I have gone to see the bats every summer that we have lived in Austin.
It's one of the things I will miss dearly when we move.
I know, you wondering..."Who would miss bats"?
Well, I will!
It's because of the bats that Austin doesn't have nearly the problem with bugs as most cities.

Those are ALL bats!

More specifically, the Mexican Free-tailed bats take residence under the Congress St. Bridge, all 1,500,000 of them.  Each night the devour, approximately, 10,000-30,000 lbs of insects!!!
By the time the bats leave in November they have nearly doubled in population.

They start flying out from under the bridge at dusk and you can watch them
 fly out in a constant stream for literally 45 minutes, at least!

Short & sweet tonight.
I hope everyone is having a blessed Thursday and is amping up for Halloween!

Backer

Backer\ n. A person who supports or aids a person

Christian should be a synonym for backer. 
While talking with a friend today I realized that all too often we are surrounded by downers and NO this friend was not a downer.
Downers are those people who bring you down, who can be pessimistic, who ultimately assume the worst of all situations, and sometimes wish the worst on people to prove their points.

During our chat I mentioned the following:
"It's frustrating when we are judged by Christians, people we expect to lift us up and help us. It seems sometimes that when we have actual problems they distance themselves from us as though it's contagious or too heavy for them".

My friend commented that some people say they are Christians without holding themselves to the standard.

I wanted to counteract with something I felt God lay on my heart:
"Christians are a multitude of people and we are at all different levels in our walks. I still fall. We all will, forever and always. We can try to be Christ-like but we will never achieve that fully. I think that people are afraid to allow others hurt into their own world for fear that it'll reveal their own hurt.  We are a society that doesn't know how to deal with hurt".

Our conversation brought us onto a very special topic. 
MARRIAGE.
This is one of my engaged friends and recently the individual was confronted by people who didn't understand why that relationship or our other friend's relationship felt they were ready for marriage. 
People who thought maybe they were too young to get married a.k.a. downers.
I had an opportunity to remind this friend that I was younger then anyone we know getting married now, when I got married. 
I was only 19....Bud was 21. 
We faced criticism from family members and other individuals, all who thought we might be too young for this next step.
Let me say now, "Nana nana boo boo"!  Sorry...maybe that was inappropriate.
On a more adult level...It's over 6-1/2 years later and those people know we made the right decision.
I told my friend that it's such a blessing that these engaged couples are all Christians.
It means we can all be backers for each other!
We can all support each other and help each other.
I didn't say marriage was always easy, but how important is it that we surround ourselves with people who are willing to listen when we are hurt and are there to support and build us back up and point us back towards Christ!!!
I'd like to thank all my friends who are a constant reminder of God's love.
I'd also like to remind everyone, myself included, that the next time we are approached (by anyone Christian or non-Christian) with a plateful of hurt that before we speak as a downer would, that we pause and see how we can use that opportunity to glorify God.  Be a BACKER not a DOWNER

Bud & I on our wedding.
04/10/04

I hope everyone has a blessed Wednesday!

Bright Orange Jack-o'-lanterns!

Sorry I've been MIA for the past few days.
I've had a swollen throat, not sore, just swollen for 2 days now and I guess I lost my voice both in blog-land and in Austin-land.
I'd like to go back to Sunday evening though and catch you up on what we've been up to.
PUMPKINS!
We carved Jack-o'-lanterns well they did, I was too exhausted so I took a few candid photos and watched from a distance.
JF & MS came over and along with Bud gutted, designed, and carved pumpkins.

JF working hard at lining up his design.

MS...the only one of any of us to freehand her design!

Bud & his silly Mustache t-shirt, happily gutting a pumpkin.

I'd say it took them roughly 1.5 hours to gut, design and carve their pumpkins.
The finished products:

JF's Air Force Pumpkin

MS's cute Witch & Broom with a "Trick or ..." message

Bud's pride & joy a Longhorn with the state of TX branded to it's forehead.
I have to say his idea was pretty ingenious!

JF & MS took their pumpkins home that night.
Monday night, while Bud was at Acting Class for church, I carved my pumpkin.

When I was little I remember crying when I had to gut pumpkins

My finished product.  A Monogrammed "H".
It could either stand for our last name OR Halloween.
Whichever you prefer.

Bud & I's pumpkins adorning the breezeway.  We will see if they make it to
Halloween with the hot days and cold nights we've been having!

Anyways I'm hoping to have my throat back to normal tomorrow...maybe I'll have something more exciting to blog about.  In the mean time I hope everyone has a blessed Tuesday & don't forget to carve those pumpkins!

Bubbas

Bubbas is another nickname for the boys.
Tonight is all about Pup:

Name: Espresso
Alias: Pup, Baboon Butt, Houdini, Pupperoni

Pup was about 6 months old when we got him. 
My Dad (out to the rescue again) was driving home from the next city over, in the rain and saw a puppy laying on the side of the highway.
Dad pulled off the side of the road a little ways ahead of the puppy and prayed that the dog he wouldn't have to put the dog out of it's misery (assuming it had been hit by a vehicle).
As he approaced the little pile of black fur, Pup raised his head and looked right at Dad.
Dad scooped up the puppy and put him in the back seat of his truck, wrapped in a towel.
When he got home he carried him in and said, "Don't ever say I'm racist-I brought home a black baby."
I know this probably doesn't translate to my readers, but it was funny in our house.
Pup took to Cappy immediately and Cappy didn't seem to mind one bit.  They were about 6 months apart in age and we procurred them about 3-4 months apart. 
As far as we could tell Pup was bred to hunt wild boar and we assume that while out with the pack and the hunter who was probably trying to triain them, Pup wandered off, bored with the current activities.
Cappy & Pup no longer know that they aren't brothers.  They can't remember a time when they weren't together.
Pup's dislikes: other dogs (he was attacked once while Bud had them out and ever since he is very on edge around new dogs), flies....yes....flies (I once opened the shower curtain only to have him jump in the tub with me to escape the fly buzzing around his head.  He gets very nervous and on edge if there is a fly in the house), most treats ( a very picky treat eater).
Pup's Birthday is February 7th and he is 7 years old.
He is my baby.
He is also a loner.
Unlike Cappy he is much more content sneaking off to his bed instead of laying by our feet.
No matter how different or alike my boys are from each other it is those characteristics that make them my boys, my boogers, my bubbas!

Pup & Cappy

I love them very much!
I hope you all have a blessed Saturday!

Boogers

and I don't mean the gross kind.
Boogers is another name I use to refer to my boys (the dogs NOT the hubby).

My Family: Me, Pup, Cappy & Bud

Tonight I will tell all about Cappy, tomorrow I'll tell you about Pup.
And with that here is Cappy:

Full Name: Cappuccino
Alias: Cappy, Chunky Monkey, Booger Bear, Happy Cappy, Capparoni

We got Cappy when he was about 1 year old.
It was my junior year of high school and Cappy belonged to some neighbors who lived in an apartment complex behind the house my parents owned.  They got him as a puppy and proceeded to chain him to the tree outside the apartment.  One day my Dad asked if they were at least going to put a dog house out there for the dog.  Magically a dog house appeared, but they didn't feed Cappy.  Their neighbor who fed all the stray cats started feeding the dog.  This dog barked at every car that drove by.  One day they were gone.
Apartment empty, Cappy still chained to the tree.
My Dad went and got Cappy and let him out in our yard.  We had a VERY large yard and for days Cappy just ran back and forth and back and forth.  My Mom was afraid of him.

Finally, one day my Dad let the dog into the house and just as we expected he was a wee bit hyper.  It took some time, but finally we got him to calm down and relax.  We started training him and I grew very attached.  My Dad was set on having the fire station take him, because he was so very smart and we already had 2 dogs.  Cappy learned all the tricks he was supposed to learn for the test.  The guys came and picked him up, brought him to the station and tested him.  They brought him back to us and said this dog is dumb, he wouldn't do a single trick.
We knew he wasn't dumb, he was probably the smartest dog ever....he didn't want to be given away, he liked us TOO much and thus he was waiting to be returned to us where yet again he performed each and every trick.  Dad finally said we could keep him, he liked the idea of me having a dog (Big,mean looking dog) that I could take with me when I graduated and moved out.

With that being said Cappy looks mean and I have no doubt he would protect me if he felt danger, but for the most part he's happy just to get copious amounts of attention.
Cappy's "birthday" is January 25th and as far as we know he is 8 years old.
He has a small thyroid problem...thus the Chunky Monkey nickname.
Also if he didn't have to I'm pretty sure he would never leave the comforts of the house.
He really doesn't like to go outside.
He's a couch potato and happy to lay right near our feet no matter what we are doing.
He's so happy to have found a loving home.
Cappy's dislikes: He hates rain and wet grass (this is the only dog I know who refuses to put his paws in wet grass...he would rather perch on the corner to go to the bathroom, than have his paws get wet--it's rather humorous to have an 83 lb dog who hates wet grass).  He hates getting a bath, but loves to be towel dried.
I love my Booger....he is my first baby, he's a ham and he knows it!

So now you know a little bit more about my family.
I hope you have a blessed Thursday!

Bruce Willis

and Hallie Berry in Perfect Stranger.

Tonight I made a Cranberry Chicken Bake & Cheesy Brocoli & Rice for dinner.
Bud & I decided we finally had the time to sit down and watch our month old Netflix.
I went into this movie thinking I knew what it was about.
This is one of those movies that at the end they throw a twist and all of a sudden you realize you fell for the story all along.
Normally, I feel, I am pretty good at picking out the bad guy in a movie early on.
I didn't see this coming.
There were a few VERY brief moments of nudity or explicit content.
The movies R rating had to be mostly due to language.
I hate when foul language is used.
I don't think it makes a movie better.

Overall though Bud & I enjoyed the movie thoroughly and now we get to send it off and get back to our Netflix Queue.  We tried scheduling the original TRON movie, but apparently it isn't available for rental!  Bud has never seen it, of course I have.
Bud wants to see it before the new one comes out at the IMAX he works at.
Anyways a quiet night in with dinner and a movie is just what the doctor ordered.
For Bud that is....see he is sick or has bad allergies or something.
I finally encouraged him very STRONGLY to take some medication.
He hates medicine and had been taking his Clariten to try to deal with his symptoms.
A week later and he still isn't feeling very good, I pointed towards the Alka-Seltzer in the medicine cabinet.
Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery.
I dislike when my hubby is sick.
I hope everyone else is feeling splendid and having a blessed Wednesday!

Benson

Detective Olivia Benson that is.
I am a huge fan of the TV show Law & Order: SVU.
I don't watch it regularly like I wish I could, but I do catch all the back episodes during my workouts on USA.
Mariska Hargitay is one of my all time favorite TV actresses, she's beautiful, strong, and talented.

But that's not all.  After years of being on Law & Order: SVU she started an organization- the Joyful Heart Foundation- that provides support to women who have been sexually abused.
In an interview she did she stated, "I started getting fan mail from survivors who felt a connection to Olivia.  In many of these letters, people would disclose their personal stories of abuse--some for the very first time.  I remember getting the sense that many were living in isolation with so much shame, but the shame belonged to the perpetrators.  I wanted to find a way to help people reclaim their lives and live them with a renewed sense of possibility and hope.  And that's what we work to do every day at Joyful Heart."

I think all to often we worry about life's What Ifs, maybe instead if we worried about the people who have actually suffered life's What Ifs we would be motivated enough to do something as awesome as Mariska Hargitay.  I think that someday I'd love to be involved in her foundation.  Some people want to help the homeless, some teenage mothers, some animal shelters, the list goes on and on.  I think my calling would be to help the sexually abused.  I have no experience with this, I wouldn't even know where to begin, but maybe just maybe someday I'll find a way to get connected to an organization such as the Joyful Heart Foundation.
So the next time you have a "What if?" moment...stop....ask God to remove that fear/worry from your heart and say a prayer for people who have suffered.  Then if you feel you are ready or able (trust me I understand the able part being difficult--life gets in our way--time only comes in set increments that can't be altered) find a way to give back to something/someone.

Sorry for such a heavy topic today.
I didn't mean for it to turn into this.
I literally meant to talk about Law & Order: SVU and how watching it helps me get through my workouts, my house cleaning, cooking, etc.
I felt a tug though to keep going deeper and to explain more.
Now I'm feeling a conviction to find a way to get involved.
Thank you God for opening my eyes when I least expect it.
I hope everyone has a blessed Monday.

Birthday Weekend

I love when birthdays fall on the weekend.
It means that you don't have to stop celebrating after just one day.
Bud & I did something that we never do.
It's something I normally an totally unable of doing.
We slept in! Cue dramatic music!!!
We slept in until 10:30am!
Normally the latest I can sleep in is 9, but not today....10:30 was glorious!
And to continue with birthday festivities.... we got to meet up with our newest of engaged couples KS & AT at a popular Austin Cafe called Mozart's.  It was 82 degrees and beautiful today so we enjoyed the outdoors!

JF & MS were there as well!

AT gave me a wonderful birthday present!

After devouring delicious Key Lime Pie!
My present was wonderfully wrapped in simple brown paper with cute giraffe print ribbon around it!

Just what I asked for and with 12 new poems I'd never heard!

Maybe that seems like a silly gift for a 26 year old, but to me it brought back memories of childhood!
You should have heard me read this off to Bud on the car ride home!
Bud & I spent about an hour at home relaxing, then we headed to Town Lake with JF & MS for a little kayaking!

Fairly confident that MS was convinced JF would capsize the kayak at least once.

Bud & I were more than happy to do this today!  We had a goal of doing this one more time before we left Austin, with today's perfect weather....it was a match made in heaven!

We kayaked for an hour and then went our separate ways.
Bud & I came home to a simple dinner and watched a little television.
It's almost bed time and I need to fold another load of laundry!
I'm so thankful for the friends I have they make me feel special....especially on my birthday!
I hope everyone had a blessed Sunday!

Birthday Shenanigans!

Happy Birthday to ME!  I'm 26 today...I know so old right...haha!
I don't like to think of myself as getting older, besides your only as old as you feel!

So last night LA got into town.
This morning we went to breakfast at one of MY FAVORITE places:
Magnolia Cafe
Delicious!
Then we spent the rest of our time with LA showing him a few of our favorite things/places around Austin.
Let me introduce you formally to LA:

Bud & LA at Observation Point...looking at the city!

Out for a stroll Bud, LA, & the Birthday Girl (me!)

Bud & I

We didn't get much time with LA before we had to take him back to the airport, but the time we spent with him was quality time!

Now for the rest of my Birthday Shenanigans....
We forgot the camera so there are no pictures to document the fun!
Dinner at Joe's Crab Shack Bud, Myself, TV, MT, & RK!
I filled myself full of crab legs!
Then it was off to the movies to see RED!
Retired Extremely Dangerous.
It was great, I laughed, I was engaged, I loved it JF & MS met us there!
When we came out of the theater here is what JF & MS had done to Bud's car:

Post-its coving the car.  A select few said I was old as dirt.  I beg to differ.
An Elmo balloon as well as a quinceanera balloon. 

Window paint & more sticky notes....I think there were 350 sticky notes on the car!

After we cleaned up the car (I was afraid we would get a ticket for littering if we started driving and the sticky notes flew off) we headed to a place called Red's where the guys all tried different beers and we just sat and hung out.

I liked my relaxed birthday.

Bud said he felt weird that he didn't really do anything big for me this year.  

I thanked him, because we have had a big year already and we have a big year ahead of us.  

I really appreciated not having a big birthday this year. 

Well I guess now that I'm old it's way past my bedtime....

I'm 26 years young if you ask me and tomorrow is another day of meeting up with friends.

Thank you to TV, MT, RK, JF, & MS for coming out to help me celebrate!

Have a BLESSED October 16th, I know I did.

Brazilian...not the wax kind

Today is the day our special guest arrives!

After work I had a laundry list of things to get done.
Vacuum-check
Mop-check
Freshen up guest room & guest bathroom-check & check
Put away laundry-check
Workout-check
Shower-check
Eat-check

I got everything done and I just got the text from Bud that he is headed home with LA!
I'll be sure to fill you all in tomorrow on our visit.
LA will only be in town tonight and tomorrow until early afternoon, so we will be enjoying his company as long as we can!
Have a Blessed Friday!

Blocked

I didn't write last night.
Somehow, it went from being 8pm to 9:45pm in the blink of an eye and I was ready for bed, but I'm back tonight.

Tonight I'm suffering from writers block.
Nothing significant has happened.
Nothing necessarily good or bad has caught my attention.
What I can share though is a quote out of a book I'm reading right now called The Shack:

"Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me". ~The Shack by Wm. Paul Young


As I contemplate that quote I realize something deep within myself.
I sometimes have a hard time trusting people, is it because I don't feel loved by them?
Do I put up a wall to protect myself and now I realize that wall is blocking out love too?
I feel, at times, that I give more love than I receive.
I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own motives that we forget to love those around us, friends, family, coworkers.
Since they don't feel loved by us they don't trust us.
How can a person who can't trust you put any confidence in you?
I think deep down conflicts that arise in our lives all come back to love & trust.

This is a short entry tonight.
Like I said, I'm suffering writers block.
But if you think about it, the next time you are around someone who you value try to do something to let them know you love/appreciate them.
It might be just that moment of vulnerability that will allow them to return the favor.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thursday!

Biped

Biped \ adj. having two feet.

I am healthy.
I have been blessed with two feet that can carry me wherever I need/want to go.
And yet, I make excuses.
I make excuses as to why I don't have time to workout for 30 minutes.
After completing my 21 day challenge I said I was going to workout 5 days a week.  
I have failed miserably at that.
All day today I told myself to make time to workout tonight.
After grocery shopping, did I want to workout?
No.
Did I?
YES!


I am so proud of myself, I am making myself get back on schedule.
5 days a week working out.  No excuses!
I have adjusted to waking up 45 minutes earlier to start work 30 minutes earlier, in order to leave work 30 minutes earlier and now it's time to take those 30 minutes and apply them to my workout schedule!


Bud has to workout to maintain a certain weight. 
That is an Air Force Standard.
As a civilian I don't have a standard to which I must measure up, except for the one I place on myself.


God blessed me with a fast metabolism.
It can also be a curse.  
For a while I used to say I was a lazy/skinny person.
Even though people thought I worked out, I didn't and it was because of that I found myself sick and tired more often.
Now when I work out I notice that I sleep better, I ache less, I eat healthier, and I feel better overall!
So no more excuses.
5 workouts/week, plain and simple.
I am going to apply one of my husband's favorite Bible verses to my life:
Proverbs 12:24 (NLT) "Work hard and become a leader, be lazy and become a slave".


Okay, well I'm not perfect, but I can really try here...so if you think about it feel free to randomly ask me how my workouts are going.  I'll thank you for it later!

Big Appetite & Big Screen

That is what I am planning for on Saturday.
I turn 26 this Saturday.

Bud asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and after very little thought I realized that all I wanted was to be surrounded by people I enjoy, eat good food, and enjoy a good movie.
So that is the plan!
Saturday we will go to Joe's Crab Shack (I figured most people could afford something on the menu and no matter what I'll get crab legs!) and afterwards we will go see the movie Red.  It should be a good time.  If people can't make it no worries, but the more the merrier.
Bud has gone out of his way in years past to make my birthday memorable, but for some reason it doesn't feel necessary this year.
I told him, and I meant this with all my heart, that he could tell people they can come to dinner and a movie or one or the other, I don't care either way as long as I have him, I'll always have the perfect present!
That's the great thing about being married to your best friend.
You don't need expensive gifts to feel loved.
You don't need expensive gifts to recognize that it's a special day.
I have him and he will make me feel special with a just a glance that I know is filled with love.

So those are my birthday plans.
I'm excited for friends who are like family, crab legs, and a movie with popcorn!
Another great thing is that when my Mom asked what I wanted for my birthday I gave her the usual list of items: Quilts for my collection, more pieces to my Willow Tree Nativity Set, and then I told her what I wanted most of all.  I didn't want to have to pay for dinner.
What fun is a birthday when your on a budget and afterwards you balance the checkbook and say, ugh we shouldn't have spent that much.
Until Bud commissions that is how I think of it.  Anyways, I got Mom's package and in the card was a check that will definitely cover my dinner.  Now if only Bud was eating for free too....haha!
So as of today my birthday plans are set and people have been invited (via Facebook of course).
Now I just have to work hard to get through this week!

Also we have a surprise at the end of the week.  Well we've known about it for awhile.
When Bud was in high school his family hosted a Brazilian Exchange Student.  LA.
Well LA will be arriving in Austin late Friday night and will be spending Saturday morning with us before heading off to visit other people while he is stateside.  Bud is really excited as am I, but it also means I need to get the house clean this week.  I need to freshen up the guest room and spiffy up the guest bathroom.  It'll be nice to start the weekend off with a long time friend!

LA way back when he was living in Kansas as an exchange student.

I've rambled on long enough.

I hope everyone had a blessed Monday!

Back in the Groove

I'm getting back in the groove after a few weeks of feeling tired all the time.
Yesterday's lazy day was amazing and needed and well used!

This morning I was up at at 'em at 8:15 (again no alarm needed, stupid internal clock won't let me sleep late)
I figured out a solution to yesterday's blocks:

Since I wasn't entirely content with the green letters on the background (it was a little hard to read them) this morning I decided to trace the letters with a white paint marker!  

Bud said it made a huge difference and he thought it looked better, I can always count on him for an honest opinion!

So here they are 100% complete & getting mailed as a belated B-day present to DE tomorrow after work!
We went to church, the late service (I prefer early service).
We started a new series called I Am Gateway.
Some scriptures that were relevant to service:
Ephesians 4:15- Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will n all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Acts 14:16&17- In the past, he let all nations go their own way.  Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.
Matthew 7:20&21- Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven".

I walked away from todays service understand more about why our church is the way it is.  Why we are so non-traditional.  Only 15% of Austin attends church on a regular basis.  Our church is reaching out to those 85% of people who have been burned by the church or are undecided in their beliefs.  We wear comfy clothes to church, hardly ever our Sunday best.  Our motto is:  Come as you are, but don't stay as you are.  We have music that represents a concert venue, but is equally capable of making worship relevant.  We watch movie clips that make the sermons understandable.  We are trying to be like Jesus.  When Jesus was asked questions he usually explained using parables, that's how we use movie clips.  I love our church.  I'll miss our church when we move, but I look forward to knowing that no matter where I am I can still watch our church here.  I am excited for whatever church we end up at next and I only hope that we can find a church that is able to break it's own boundaries and not get stuck in a comfort zone.  We never know who might be visiting each Sunday and how our discomfort may be their comfort and vise versa.

Afterwards, a quick trip to Michael's, then Wich Wich for lunch, and finally Kohl's so Bud could get a new watch.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful.  Just getting back into the groove of laundry, cleaning, and I still fit in a nap and knitting!
I'm excited for this week and all that it has to offer!
I hope everyone had a blessed Sunday.

Blocks II

I've done it again!  I made blocks for a friend's birthday present.

Hopefully she won't read this and the surprise won't be spoiled.

I had a small predicament though when I decided to craft these for this particular friend.

See....she's getting married in less than 1 year.

So after much thought I finally figured out a solution!

On one side of the blocks it says:

*MISS*-----* (12 total blocks)

On the other side it says:

MRS--------- (12 total blocks)

I still need to add ribbon to these....I'm thinking red will work best.  

Part of me wishes I would have done white letters, maybe they would have popped more against the star background.  I'm still trying to gain an eye for this.  

Anyways I really hope that she likes these!

One of these days I'll have to do a tutorial to teach everyone how to make this very simple craft!

I spent most of my afternoon finishing these.  

All morning I spent on the couch...in my pajamas, perfectly content watching too much television, knitting, and enjoying my down day.  

Bud knew I had no intention of achieving anything serious today and was gracious enough to encourage I take an off day.  Since I woke up at 7:30 (not by choice, I literally always wake up early) I decided at around 11:45 to take a nap.  It was a wonderfully cozy and fulfilling 1 hour nap!

Enough of a nap that afterwards I finally showered and got a few things tackled around the house, not much, but enough.  I can't help myself.  

Now it's back to watch some NCIS (marathon all day!) and knit until it's time to start a new roll of yarn!

I hope everyone is having a blessed Saturday.

Beyond Blessed

Today was the night we were supposed to go back to group and talk about our random acts of kindness.  We were supposed to tell if we were successful each day and if we were unsuccessful on certain days why we thought that was.
Unfortunately, Bud & I couldn't go to group tonight.
Why?
Well a random act of kindness was bestowed upon us!
My friend's mom won concert tickets for a concert here in Austin.
She couldn't go so lasts week I received a message asking if Bud & I wanted to go.
At first I thought she was asking if we wanted to go with her and I had to decline, because our budget has been so tight lately.
When she told me that her mom wanted to give us the tickets we realized this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
So tonight we went to the "Make A Difference Tour".
We heard:

TobyMac

Michael W. Smith

Third Day

We saw Max Lucado, he was there promoting his new book Outlive Your Life.  

If you remember I read that book recently and reviewed it for Booksneeze.com!
The music was awesome, but I think Third Day was my favorite.
I feel blessed that I have a husband who loves God the same way I do.
It's powerful to be surrounded by that many people worshipping, you can feel the positive energy.

So it's amazing that after a week of trying to find ways to help people, we were given a gift!
So thank you DE(my friend) & GE(friend's mom) for thinking of us and sharing such an awesome gift!

On another note I've been finishing up DE's Birthday present this week.  Her birthday was October 5th...shhhhh....I'm a few days late, oops!  I can't wait to show ya'll what I made her!
I hope everyone has a blessed Thursday evening!