San Antonio

So, after seeing everyone I ever knew in life, and attending a wedding of Aarons cousin Rich, we finally made it to our anniversary celebration down in San Antonio. Now I am a sold out Texan, but honestly I had never been to the Alamo or the Riverwalk and according to my husband youre just not Texan until you have. So to celebrate our first year of marriage and solidify my Texanness we went Southbound 35 down to San Antone!!

The Menger Bar was the place Roosevelt actually recruited some of the ruff riders!!

Here are Aaron and I in front of the same cannon, how our different pictures represent our personalities :)!! Hes always so composed!! Me...well not so much! So glad opposites attract. And the middle is us posing on our Riverwalk Boat Tour!! I think this is a potential career for me. All you have to do is entertain folks for a half hour and ask for tips, please I am made for that!!

And of course last but not least the traditional in front of the Alamo pose!!! I love Texas!!

One Year

Aaron and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary. To celebrate we went back to the restaurant we ate at the night he proposed. His parents asked to see a reenactment, but Aaron said he was nervous enough the first time he was not doing that again. Im still not sure why, anyone who knows me knew I was ready to marry that man since the day I met him.

These pictures are of us following through on the year tradition of eating the top of the wedding cake. If I was going to give any newlyweds advice it would be to pass up this tradition. I dont love white cake that much anyway, and after a year in the freezer, I am for sure not a fan!!

Alma Mater

So I spent the last few weeks in Texas, and although it was so good to see everyone, I honestly for the first time couldnt wait to be home, Tucson, AZ home!! Since I have moved out here, I have just been counting on the fact that one day we would move back to the state where God resides, but the truth is I am starting to think maybe He moved with us here to Arizona. While we were there it was 40 degrees and raining the entire time, but here, its 80 degrees and wonderfully sunny!! Oh home sweet home!!

But one thing that Arizona will never have on Texas is the great town of Belton, Texas. You know I couldnt road trip it from Dallas to San Antonio with out a stop at the old Alma Mater. Here is Aaron and I on our first trip to UMHB since our wedding. My goal is for him to one day become an honorary crusader!! GO CRU!!

We didnt bring a digital camera with a timer so we had to take turns in front of the sign :)!!




Here we are repin the cru with our "C"!! And here were are sad cuz we're leaving. Aarons face makes me laugh...looks like we need a lil practice on our sad faces :*(!!

Oh and for all fellow alumni, check out the website to download free UMHB ringers! With every text I know proudly here "Up with the Purple"

I wish I would have known then what I know now...

Ok for those of you who dont know I teach high school Sunday school at church and have lately been trying to push the point that their elders really do have some good advice to give. I promised each week I would give them a little nugget of life wisdom...and this is where you come in. I have some of my own to share but I am wondering....

What do you wish someone would have told you back then that would have helped you out in life?
Or maybe what is something that someone did tell you that you wish you would have listened to?

Please, these girls need good advice and I would love to hear what you have to say :)!! Thanks.

Fun Food...

Ok, so I have seen Natalie post quite a few cute little baking ideas and decided to give one a try. However, I believe in the picture she posted it used muffin tops for the buns, but i decided to go with simple sugar cookies due to the time and convenience factors.

I have included a picture below...they were a huge hit at the bar-b-cue!

I also took with me ice cream sandwiches. I got this idea out of Cosmo, and it was such an excellent idea. This dessert is super simple and oh so Delicious!! I simply took vanilla ice cream, let it cool for about 20 minutes till I could spread it on a cookie, topped it with another cookie, and rolled the sides in chocolate sprinkles. Just make sure you give them about 2 hours to freeze before serving.

Down Range

My wonderful husband gave me a gun for my wedding present back in October, but since he has had such a busy schedule I've been unable to shoot the gun since. However, this weekend was all "us" time and we spent this morning out in the wash shooting at targets. Lets just say hes got an up on me with all his training, but I didnt do too shabby either. He had me doing tactical drills and all in case Im ever somewhere and encounter a threat! Hes the best husband ever, and I know he cares more about my safety than most other things, so it was really fun that he spent his Saturday equipping me with the necessary skills. This blog is more representative of my life than anyone could possibly realize...and well that makes me laugh.

Here we are in our ear protection ready to fight :)!!

Manfax

Why is it that when we buy a car we require that the dealer show us the carfax, but when we get married we don’t ask for the manfax up front?
Again, don’t get me wrong, I love my husband more than anything, but the more I get to know him, the more I realize how many little things I didn’t realize I was signing up for when I said I do. I wouldn’t change a thing, in fact he makes me laugh constantly and is the person that provides the majority of the material for my blog.
However, this morning we were sleeping in and all the sudden I heard the strangest sound. Aaron was sitting up and facing the other wall, and though it looked like he was rubbing his face, it sounded like he was messing with his watch. Oh yeah, eye squeak. If I ever test drove a car that sounded like that, you know I would be leaving it right there on the lot. Apparently the sound is due to an accident that happened when he belonged to his previous owners (my inlaws). Now maybe this particular revelation is not a non negotiable, but it got me to thinking….what else are married people faced with post “I do” that they were never privileged to information about prior?
I mean…Im just askin…

9 years....

For those of you who have known me for any time at all you know that my husband has been in my life for quite a long time....9 years to be exact.

Unfortunately I am a week late in posting this, but on May 29th we celebrated our nine years by spending the day together up on Mt. Lemmon here in Tucson.

Meeting him could be the reason that I have such an amazing heart for camp ministry, because it is continually where I find my Lord, as well as where I found the man of my dreams. We did a little reminiscing about our past and found a number of humorous keep sakes. Lets say I was more than a bit obsessed. I pretty much kept everything he ever touched! haha! Glad we finally got married because that would be really awkward to have otherwise :)!!

I still cant believe it has been this long since I so naively flirted with the basketball ref at church camp. Thankfully he was far more tuned into Gods will at that point and was certain from that moment on that we would be married one day. It may have taken us a long time to get to the alter, but it was all in Gods plan and timing.

I am so blessed to have a man who prays over our marriage daily, and continually tells me how blessed he feels to have me as a wife. It doesnt matter if he puts in 80 hours a week at work, he never even has to be asked to take out the trash or help with the dishes. And Lord bless his soul that he never makes me clean the bathroom, because he know just how much I hate to do so. He also never misses an opportunity to serve anyone even if that means moving 3000 lbs. of drinks from one place to another...thats right 3000 lbs.

He is the most intelligent man that I have ever known, and although he gives me a hard time when it comes to my vocabulary, he has never once made me feel inferior to him. He also never seeks out any credit, although he more than deserves to get recognized for all that he does for his family, church, and country.

He pays attention to every word spoken, and never misses a chance to key in on the small details that make me feel so special. Not to mention he always lets me choose what radio station to listen to or what to watch, he takes me on suprise dates to Chilis...which I LOVE!! and the poor man has been working on my painting project for the last 8 months. There is so much more to say about him...but for now...He is far more than I deserve, and more than I could have dreamed.

I have included some pics from our trip to the mountain...I know you may get confused because there is so much green...but we really are still in Tucson!!

Things I am currently OBSESSED with...

1. Gilmore Girls, I literally plan my day around this show, pathetic I know, but thats what happens when you dont have DVR and you're too cheap to buy!

2. Cook Yourself Thin, this is another TV show which sadly is on at the same time as Gilmore Girls, but it is worth the flip between, they show you how to cut every day meal calories by like half....it is amazing. If anyone has read the book, let me know if its worth buying!

3. Otter Pops, I know Natalie already mentioned Popsicles on her page, but seriously, they really are the best dessert for a summer day with the smallest amount of calories. These are those ones you used to have as a kid! Oh and they only have 20 calories!!

4. Free to Be Me, by Francesca Battistelli

5. Whatever It Is, by the Zac Brown Band

(Please invest some money and download these two songs, AMAZING)

6. Running as fast as my husband...which is like a mile and a half in 10 min. HOLY MOLY!! I ran like .4 of a mile at his speed the other day and thought I was going to pass out! But I am not giving up....Im going to out run him one day, even if its literally the last thing I do. (which it might be at this speed, my poor heart!! )

Check out these 6 things, and I promise your day will improve :)!! Well the first 5 anyway, maybe not the running thing :)!!

Life News

I have a huge praise report!! We have been visiting a church in Tucson since we got married, and finally joined this past weekend! The whole church family was so receptive to us, and have been so great to include us in everything! I met a couple of girls near my age too, I think we're going to hang out this weekend! I know that is such a small thing, but it would be huge to have friends here. I miss girl time.
I have been helping teach high school girls Sunday School, and will soon be leading out in that area, as the other girls graduate and move on. They have even asked me to attend three camps with them this summer...and well we know I LOVE CAMP :)!! In fact the church actually own their own camp up on a mountain here in Tucson. I havent been up there to visit, but am anxious to see it and suggest ways on how to grow it ;)!!
Aaron, who tends to be someone who stays out of the spot light is quickly becoming a huge favorite of everyone at church. He offered up his services to take the youth repelling on the mountain and even began talks about starting a small group with the music minister for those of us married couples who live way out here in the boonies :)!!
He is such an amazing husband who continues to surprise me daily at how selfless he is!

My talent...

So my husband is extremely intelligent, and well good at absolutely everything. He also works with a group of highly trained and unbelievably qualified men. The problem with this however, is that these men married women who share their standard of excellence. Well in comparing myself to these incredible women I began to wonder, how do I stack up?

They have all given their husbands children....welp Im out on that one :)!!

They ALL have boob jobs, no kiddin! And well my chest is as flat as a pancake!!

They are all successful in their jobs which range from finance to a Top Gun instructor, thats right, shes crazy awesome!

They all run, and could run miles of circles around me. That same Top Gun instructor ran until she was 8 months prego.

So to sum it up...they all have the body and the brains...and me...what do I have?

Thats right, MATH!! I am good at math. I bet I could figure percentages faster than any other team wife. Do you suppose department stores hire people to walk around and tell customers what their purchase will cost if it is 35% off?

Thankfully my husband is supportive of my wonderful skills! In fact he let me show off last night in bed....oh yes, I did math problems for him as we discussed the church's budget!!

So if you ever need a math problem figured quickly, you know who to call!

You too may be destined to be a housewife...

Do I look unhappy? Bored? Lonely? Poor? Perhaps unfulfilled?

I didnt think this was the case but apparently these must be the unintentional vibes I am sending out. In the last week or so I have been recruited twice by two different employers, and though I am flattered that they clearly see a diamond of an employee in me, I am in fact not looking for a job. In fact it sparked a thought in me that maybe I should be doing the recruiting. I am now on a mission to recruit as many women as I can to becoming housewives (or house husbands, I dont discriminate)!! I have included the minimum requirements below.

Job:
Housewife (Househusband)

Position:
Posted 4/15/09; open indefinitely

Education:
High school Graduate Required (For Heavens Sake you need to be old enough to legally sign your marriage license)
Bachelors Degree Preferred (This will help in your own defense against those who judge you for being "just a housewife", but trust me...its just cuz their jealous)

Requirements:
*Must be self motivated. There aint no boss around here telling you what needs to be done next, you gotta figure that out on your own....or you know, put it off till tomorrow, whose going to know?!?!
*Must be willing to put in long hours, including weekends. You must always be on call for a dish that needs washing or a husband who needs feeding.
*Must be flexible with sleeping schedule. You may need to sleep in a few more hours and then work more quickly to finish everything before the hubby comes home.
*Must be organized. It is imperative to set the tv to autotune so as to not miss the start of the next show.
*Must be a wise investor....in candles that is. This is the key to making it appear as if you have been slaving all day :)!!
*Must blog in order to entertain the rest of the housewives that are at home all day. We have to stick together ladies.
*Must work out daily, its the least we can do for our husbands who spent all day at work. (Yes, walking around the mall does constitute as cardio, if it didnt how could we justify all the time spent there.)
MOST IMPORTANT
*Must be able to separate your work and private lives. For instance, when in public, or on vacation, please refer to him as your husband, not your boss!!

Perks
*Meals paid for daily on the "company credit card"
*Unlimited sick days
*Free wifi, and long distance
*Fully stocked refrigerator at the office
*Can never be fired!!

Compensation
DOE (depends on economy, and how often your "boss" checks the bank statements :)!! )

Any applicants may contact EHarmony, the local church, or the corner supermarket :)!! Come on over to the good side of life.

I love my kitchen...

Ok so we are finally back home after three long months!! Praise God that Aaron has passed his course and we were able to come home with a new addition to our family. It has been so much fun having someone else around the house. Rocky never allows for a dull moment.

But the truth is, the best part of being home is my kitchen. Now, Im not the greatest cook, but the first thing I did when I got home was immediately wash dishes and bake cookies!! I couldnt wait to get everything back in order, and use my mixer again!! (For those of you who dont have one, I strongly recommend buying a kitchen aide mixer....Im not sure how I ever lived a day without it. Also it is imperative to invest in good non stick pans, especially cookie sheets!! Holy Moly you can never have too many!!)

I mean seriously what has happened to me...a year ago you wouldnt have caught me dead in a kitchen on a Saturday, but now, its my absolute favorite place in my house. Apparently, God knew me better than I did when he destined me to be a housewife.

Homecoming Pics...

Ok Natalie, since homecoming mums did make your top five I guess I can share some old homecoming photos. I have only been able to locate one years worth of photos, so here goes...

This is 10th grade homecoming....

You might be getting old if...

The kids who are in college now were born in a different decade than you.

Yeah thats really all I got, but seriously, Holy Moly 90s babies!!

Flirting leads to babies...

So I am unashamedly obsessed with reality tv. I don't mean I dvr them and catch up when I can, I mean, I never miss an episode. Sometimes I have to send Aaron to bed, and stay up to just to find out who Tyson can make into a supermodel. And of course I don't discriminate, give me a race across the world, a family of too many dang children, or a woman with giant legs, and I am there. However, in devoting so much time, I have been blessed with some really useful information. For instance, just take what I learned today...



First and Foremost...


According to Patty, the Millionaire Matchmaker, who of course knows all things relationship related, a smiley wink text, you know the ; ) is sexual....yes, sexual. So please, in order to not lead to any questionable or sketchy circumstances, lets just keep the smiley wink to ourselves!



That inappropriate "sexting" as they call it leads me right into my next useful bit of information.



For goodness sake ladies, lets learn what it takes to get pregnant, that's right, SEX. I spent the last hour of my life in total shock at apparently the number of grown women who haven't put two and two together. It was a special on women who delivered babies after not knowing they were pregnant. I know this may be an odd place to interject scripture but if childbearing is supposed to be the part of the curse placed on women, it seems hard to believe you could mark it up to anything else.



It may be that I am just good at math, but I see this as basic arithmetic anyone could understand...

man+woman=sex sex+right timing or Gods humor=baby baby+curse=pain (not surprise!)



I don't know, maybe Kristi can shed some light on this for me, but all I'm saying is ladies be careful who you're throwing out smiley winks and nookie too...these may lead to more than you bargained for.

April "This Month in History"

So staying in this apartment complex may not be a complete loss....I mean we do get handy monthly newsletters. This month they have included an interesting recollection of events that have previously happened in the month of April.
I have posted them for your enjoyment:

1564: Playwright and poet William Shakespeare was born.

1775: On his midnight ride, Paul Revere warned Americans the British were coming.

1789: The oath of office to be the first U.S. president was administered to George Washington. (I wonder why we have now moved it to January? I would have been happy with 4 more months of George W!!)

1800: Library of Congress was established.

1861: The Civil War started when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter.

1865: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

1896: The first Olympic Games of the modern era took place in Athens, Greece.

1912: The luxury liner Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk near Newfoundland.

1917: Following a vote by Congress the United States entered WWI.

1981: The first space shuttle, called Columbia, was launched.

1995: Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female to preside over the Supreme Court.

MEET ROCKY!!!!

Ok Natalie...per your request I am introducing my dog.

To clear up the confusion from your blog our first dog was named Rico. Sadly Rico was only with us 4 weeks until he suffered a severe dental injury and was shipped to Dallas for surgery.

Since training couldnt stop for surgery we were forced to get a new dog...insert Rocky!!

Unlike Tug, Rocky does not enjoy sleeping the day away, but CONSTANTLY wants to play :)!! Hes one crazy mad man, but he is sure good for entertainment purposes.

As you can see behind him, there is a kennel that he sleeps in. Recently we moved the kennel from our room in order that we could actually get some sleep. Rocky is a loud sleeper!! He however, has gotten so used to going to the same place to sleep that when Aaron orders him to the kennel he still goes back to our room, and lays down where his kennel used to be....as pictured below. Poor dog, hes cute, but his is a little retarded!! haha

I've also included a picture of him with Aaron on our couch so you can see just how large he is...hes a big ole boy.

Basketball in Full Swing...

My apologies for not posting the cbssports.com webpage on my blog for those of you who needed direction to building your bracket but we have been having computer problems lately :*(! We have been having trouble for the last couple of months with our charger, but my husband assures me that it will continue to work. So after 4 days of no computer it has finally come back to life.

March Madness is now in full swing, and as usual is anything but predictable. The number 1 seed teams seem to be having the most trouble holding off they 16 seeds. However UNC made me proud when they showed up to represent with a 50 pt spread by the end of the game.

April...this is what I think of your choice of Pitt winning the whole thing. That was just a stinky idea on your part!! haha!! You're going down...even though you're beating us in both brackets right now!

Haley I dont have anything bad to say about your pick yet, but give me time....Im sure I'll come up with something!! lol!

And no Natalie, unfortunately I am still in Texas and not betting on these games in Vegas. However, Haley did pass on some information about a website where betting could become a real possibility from the comfort of my very own couch! And that is your fault anyway...you're the one who took me to Vegas and introduced me to how addicting it could be to bet on games!

I love March...

March is our favorite month of the year. We cannot wait for March Madness to get underway. Selection Sunday is tomorrow, and Tuesday the games begin!!!

Today the teams played the last championships before the seeds are set. Though Syracuse was unable to secure the spot as the Big East Champion, they were able to put on quite a show. After like 7 overtimes in the last 4 days, this team put up quite a fight. Im pulling for these guys, especially Johnny Flynn...excellent player! Maybe they'll even go all the way, we'll have to see how they're ranked tomorrow in the brackets.

Check back tomorrow, I'll add a link where to go fill out your own bracket. And if anyone is up for a friendly bet, Aaron and I are never against putting money up on our brackets.

YEAH FOR MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Joys of being a home owner...

So I went home to check on our house this weekend, and finally decided how we can be the one house on the street with a green yard....thats right...WEEDS!!

I know my camera cut off the bottom half, but look at this weed that has grown in only a few weeks. At first I almost watered it thinking it was one of my plants. But no, it was a weed, one of many that covered my yard. This was the first time I really missed living in an apt. Oh the bliss of simply having beautiful landscape without lifting a finger.

Then I had to try pulling newspaper out of our pool drains with one of those long pool poles. Now dont get me wrong, Im not opposed to cleaning the normal leaves and what not out of our pool, but I am almost convinced people walk on the street behind our house and just throw stuff in the pool. I think the whole dang newspaper was in those drains...ornery little paper boy!

After that I just ran some water through all of our plumbing to make sure it was still up and running. If anything is going to happen in your house, you better hope its not the plumbing that messes up. Talk about dirty clean ups, and yes this is speaking from experience. Dont worry I'll spare you the dirty details, and just tell you, Im glad we have a rocky yard, just spray it down and keep on trucking.

But it all pays off...this whole house thing. I mean you get to design it any way you want, and you feel really blessed when you keep a plant alive. See plum tree stage right :)!!

Secretly though, Im fairly certain anyone could keep things alive in AZ. All the plants can stand the extreme heat and dont require much water. So yes, I've only watered this tree like 3 times in the last 6 months and look at it go, but Im going to take credit for it anyway. Well and give God some props for creating such a beautiful thing able to stand the desert climate.

Inlaws

So my in-laws came to visit this past weekend. They were our first visitors since we got married back in October. Honestly, I have never felt more like an adult. For the first time, I was in the master bedroom, and was responsible for cooking all the meals....WHOA!!

While they were here we went over to the Border Patrol Museum. It was quite an eye opener, just to see how many have given their lives in that particular line of service. I think often since they're not "military" they get dismissed as being a vital part of our national security. The new show "Homeland Security" seems to at least be giving America a taste of what these agents deal with on a regular basis.

While they were here we also started competing on who could get the best score in Solitaire. I know that doesn't sound that exciting, but believe me, with three computers in the room the competition got pretty fierce. My best score so far has been 710 as shown below, but my father in law is already at 730, so I better get back to the game! Give it a shot, flip the cards one at a time, and try to only go through the pile once! SO HARD!! :)!!

Thank goodness I am married...

Well, honestly every day since I have been married I have woken up grateful for that truth, but never more so than this morning.

Did anyone else watch the last bachelor episode last night?

Thank goodness I am not single with those kind of men out there running around, pretending to be looking for a happily ever after.

What a joke!!! All season we have listened to poor Jason cry woe is me only to turn around and do the exact thing that Deanna did.

Im not a fool, I dont watch these reality shows thinking they're actually going to get married, but I do watch in hopes that these people will at least open themselves up to the possibility of true love. The only problem with that is that they're not Christians, and without that cannot understand what love truly is...



Love is patient--does not give up after six weeks; it fights to make it work

Love is not self seeking--doesn't want to try everyone on for size before picking a wife

Love never fails--and well this one is just doomed from the get go



Anyway...props to Melissa for calling him out, and shame on Molly for taking him back. The Millionaire matchmaker says, if you're not his first choice then hes not that interested! Amen sister!! He had his chance to choose Molly and chose not to, so why now? I just wish she could see that shes worth more than second best.

To my single friends...I promise there are still good Christian guys out there...ones that wont change their mind after 6 weeks!!!!!

Heck....posting about reality TV, maybe I should find a hobby...haha!

On the move...

With my husbands job we're never certain of where we're going to end up. We're currently residing in a less than beautiful city in West Texas. Having just moved across country I was wary of yet another move, no matter how temporary. Though I came in expecting the worse, it has as usual proved to be quite an adventure.

While we've been here we have gotten a dog...well actually 2 dogs. The first was the sweetest, most lovable puppy ever. However he was huge, probably as tall as my husband on his back legs! He was a little clumsy and a bit of a goofball, but he was so obedient and so stinkin adorable. However, he broke one of his teeth and has been sent to Dallas for some extensive mouth surgery. Im hoping Rico pulls through just fine :)!!

Then there was Rocky....oh hes a trip. Hes about half the size of Rico and twice the width. He's not quite as obedient, but at least there is never a dull moment now around the house! Lets just say he loves to be next to his dad at all times, no matter if hes fixing food in the kitchen or relaxing on the couch....there's ROCKY!!!


For those of you who have never been to West Texas, I have included a few pictures to show you that the movies really do depict this area correctly....



The first one is a real life tumbleweed!! Look behind the rear tire, yup there it is! It was under my truck but my husband rescued me from the crazy plant life of the west and passed it on to the next vehicle. I'll be honest, I always thought those were just something the movies added, but oh no...they're everywhere!!

The second is a mountain pass I see every day! It is beautiful! But obviously very dry...not to much grass here either!!

Married Life...

Being married for sometime now, yes five long months, I have been flirting with the idea of writing about what marriage is really like, so perhaps this is my jumping off point for putting all the newly learned wisdom into print. So many books talk about how hard the first year is and how difficult it is to get used to living with someone, and boy are they right. It is so hard to wake up next to my best friend every day and fall asleep to him every night. Not to mention all the fun we have in the hours in between. The true hard part however about marriage is all the little things no one tells you...



Like how if your spouse tends to move in their sleep you have the potential of introducing your eyeball to their elbow...



Or how suddenly now that you live with a boy instead of your girls they expect more than a bowl of cereal for dinner,....



Not to mention that they are a one man show when it comes to handy work. They can suddenly install 100 lb tvs and 50 lb microwaves which they have to hold while simultaneously screwing it into the wall all by themselves. I now have no sympathy for older men with back problems, all I can say is if it were up to the wife they would have hired it done, and their back would be just fine. Quit blaming some fake old sports injury and just admit it is the direct result of a stubborn head.