The Great

So one more quick post - we've started getting our diapers in and I LOVE THEM!!  We still have a ways to go (to have enough diapers) - but check out how cute this little guy is :)

And these!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Baby Style

The Good:
I feel great :)  I do have some minor back pains, but all things considered I feel extremely fortunate.  I'm working, making it through the day, and overall I am very happy. 

The Bad:
I'm not sleeping very well.  I'm going to bed early, so despite not sleeping through the night, I think I'm still getting an adaquate amount of sleep.  I wake up frequently, find comfortable positions difficult to locate, and often have trouble getting back to sleep. 

The Ugly:
This is suppose to be our nursery.  Oops.  Someone (Eric and I) missed the memo that we need to get this room ready.  Anything "baby" is currently stacked in a closet, propped behind a door, or conveniently located on a top shelf in the laundry room.  We know this needs to change, we just haven't found the time to do it yet. 

Here's to praying for a full-term pregnancy, because this momma's not gonna be ready early :) 

Enchilada Amazingness

I've been experiencing a bit of "writer's block," if you will.  So much to say, and so many ideas - it just hasn't come out in blog format.  I'm still working on some things, so maybe we'll get a "drive-by" blog with several topics coming up soon!

So what inspired this post?  Food, of course :)  Eric and I enjoyed this made-from-scratch enchilada recipe last night.  Not only was it delicious, but also healthy.  We used all fresh ingredients from our CSA, and it turned out great.  Simple to make, but a little time-consuming.

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

To Commit to Memory

I was sitting on the sidewalk, in the shade of an old oak tree, waiting for AAA to return my call.  I had been there for nearly an hour, alternating between the shade and the 100° heat that filled my car.  The car needed a new ignition lock.  At the time I thought it was just stuck and continual tries at turning the key would magically get a rewarding response.  With blistering fingers and accumulating sweat running down my back, I was growing increasingly frustrated.

My phone rang.  My husband was on the other end, calling from the peaceful and serene beaches of a small island off the coast of South Carolina.  "I'm sorry you have to go through this," he said.  "I wish I were there."

"Why?" I blurted, my annoyance with the situation clearly shining through. "So you could sit here in the blazing sun and wait?"

"No," he replied softly, an almost hesitant response.  "So I could give you a hug and say 'Happy Anniversary.'"

Really? I thought.  Could it be?  It's 4:30 in the afternoon and I haven't realized it's my anniversary yet?  What was the date, anyway?

"No, Eric.  I would have remembered if we got married on 6-7-7.  Isn't it on the 9th?"

"No, Joy.  It's today.  Go home and check the blanket."  He was referring to an embroidered afghan we received four years prior.

After my apologies for forgetting, and my best "Happy Anniversary to you, too!" we hung up.  I never had been especially aware of dates, regardless of the occasion.

As I slouched through the next hour waiting on the locksmith to replace my ignition lock and make me a new set of keys, I decided to make a bitter situation light, and posted a very joyous, "Happy anniversary to the love of my life..." on facebook.  I was looking forward to the responses and congratulatory remarks of friends and family.

Once home I had deadlines to meet for a project I was working on.  As soon as I finished eating, I began diligently working, telling myself social networking would be a good reward after I had met the deadline.

Around 9:00 I felt the vibration signaling a new text. "Um didn't you get married on June 9th?"  It was from a long-time friend and bridesmaid in my wedding.  This situation warranted a break from my work immediately.  I quickly snatched the blanket from the back of the recliner.  There it was.  The bold blue numbers almost laughed at me.  June 9, 2007.  I immediately went to facebook.  Scattered through the expected congratulatory remarks were two more inquisitions from life-time friends questioning my proclaimed anniversary date.

I went back to the blanket and took a picture.  Then I sent the following text.

J: lover, our embroidered blanket quite clearly says June 9.
E: no way
J: here you go

E: but i already posted it on facebook

as if this somehow holds weight over our actual wedding date

J: me too, hours ago

E: i feel foolish

J: you and i both.  though now the blog will be much better

E: oh wonderful. at least now we can see each other

I do look forward to the few awake moments we'll have together tomorrow.  Will there be an anniversary celebration?  Probably not.  But two days later when we visit Morats, the bakery we still dream about, walk the sand dunes overlooking Lake Michigan and stroll the deserted streets in the pre-season days of this tourist town, we will remember.  It was here we spent our first anniversary.

Frozen wedding cake.  Miniature golf.  Endless sweets.  Peaceful sunsets. Walks in search of ice cream.

Perhaps we will be so fortunate to see a glimpse of our past as we walk hand-in-hand into our 5th year.

Homemade Salsa Success!

I made salsa today for the first time.  Admittedly, I built up more excitement/anticipation than the salsa could possibly live up to, but it was still good. 

Not an excellent picture, but here it is.

I used this recipe from food network as a starting point:

Ingredients
3 ripe plum tomatoes (about 3/4 pound) or 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup chopped red or yellow onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Emeril's Hot Sauce or other red hot sauce

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse until the salsa is mostly smooth but still slightly chunky, about 7 pulses.

Transfer to a bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to serve the nachos.

My alterations:

I was inspired to try salsa because we received fresh cilantro and garlic scapes in our CSA this weekend.  So... instead of garlic cloves, I used scapes.  And apparently I bought the wrong kind of tomatoes, but I'm not sure how that makes a difference (I'm no tomato expert).  Finally, I don't have a food processor :)  I do have a food chopper that works really well, so I have tiny pieces of tomatoes and onions, and I really like it!  I doubled the recipe, and I'm glad I did.  I love salsa!  This recipe ended up very fresh tasting, and light. 

Eric wasn't as pleased, so he blended a small portion and added red pepper.  I wouldn't be surprised if he adds jalapeno, too.  He wanted a bit more of a "kick." 

Regardless, I would call it a successful first attempt.

Done, Done, Done, Done

Eric Graduated!

While I cannot say for certain that he's really "done" with higher education, he did complete his Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt!  I am so proud of him :) 

I find it hard to believe we've been living in Nashville for 3 years; they have gone by so quickly.  Even for Eric, who has worked endless hours writing, reading (literally) hundreds of books, and attending class, it has gone by rather quickly. 

Congrats, Graduate :)

This is the "Strawberries and Champagne" tent.  I have never seen so many strawberries! 

A long but lovely week

This week has been LONG.  Each day has seemed crammed full of events and activities, and with one day piling on top of the day before... well... the week gets long.  We did get to see Les Miserables on Tuesday :) 

Les Mis is Eric's all-time favorite musical.  He was excited not only to see it, but also to share it with me.  We had a great time, tried out a new Thai restaurant, went to pick up our tickets and realized we were incredibly early due to us thinking the show started at the "doors open" time.  Oops!  So we walked a few blocks and split some ice cream from a little home-made ice cream shop :)  Then went back and did indeed enjoy a spectacular show!  When we got home a little past 11pm, I did selfishly comment I would like to see it again, with a show that starts at noon so I can be fully awake! 

On Wednesday Jeff and Andrea stopped by for dinner.  What a welcome surprise!  They were flying home from a visit to Texas and had a layover in Nashville.  It was really nice to have dinner with them.  In moments like those, I do wish I lived closer to family.  I would love to visit with our loved ones on a more regular basis.

Thursday brought a special visit with friends of ours where we got to hold and love on precious new born twins!  So fun!  The girls were born on Tuesday, are so tiny, but are doing great.  They even got to go home on Friday!

And yesterday brought with it 6 hours in the car all for a 15 minute interview.  I had scheduled myself to work a half day (until 11:30), but my substitute never showed up.  So I stayed until 1:00 before I split my class amongst other teachers and took off.  Eric and I drove across the state for me to interview with the Credentials Board for my District License with the Nazarene Church.  This is my 2nd renewal, so apparently they weren't concerned, and the interview lasted all of 15 minutes.  We then got in our car and drove home.  It was nice to meet some of the pastors on our district, but I'm not gonna lie... it seemed a bit ridiculous to spend our afternoon/evening driving all for 15 minutes that seemed like it could have taken place through email. 

Needless to say, I'm thankful to be home this morning with nothing pressing today.  In a little while we will go to the Farmer's Market to pick up our basket of fruits/veggies from our CSA, but I look forward to that, along with an afternoon of NOTHING :)