BAD Dreams

Ohmygosh I had two separate dreams last night, both in which I was pregnant, had the baby, in the first dream a girl, the second a boy, and in both someone tried to take them!  Sheesh, been watching too much LOST I think... YIKES to the max with the whole baby thing though... oi.

The cinnamon bread was semi-disastrous in look... but made up for ugliness in taste!  Seriously, very yummy, but verrrry ugly.  [Chicken a'cookin in the crockpot behind the bread...not the best chicken I ever made either... not my best day of wife-ing...] 

Then yesterday I ran a bunch of errands [lol, the errands I was supposed to do on Thursday...oops... but what matters is I did them!]  Had some coffee with the dad, drank it black (plus a little sugar) and it was pretty tolerable!  :)  Then spent the day with my dear friend Taren and we baked these pecan pie muffins: 

 the batter

the finished product!

DELISH!  But why wouldn't they be?  Pretty much butter and brown sugar in those babies... Yikes.  I have GOT to get a job so I can stop baking and eating my time away! 

This is my project for next week-- yarn/felt wreaths:

I have a giftcard to Hob Lob so I'm thinking it will be super cheap and fun to make!  And can replace my Christmas door wreath with something cute and different! 

Happy Day :)

Thoughts on Thursday.

Ample amounts of time this week have left me nothing to do but actually check things off the mile-long to-do list.  Hoping to actually have some significant things completed by the time I am working somewhere...someday.  I got a new calendar (thanks Mom), and a list of stuff, waiting for my dear friend to (hopefully) come with me to get things done!

Last night I tried a new recipe in my bread machine (got it for Christmas, thanks Mom x2!).  DELISH!  It is my third loaf and the best yet!

I think I am going to try making The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Bread today!  (Will be delivering that one to Nick's office at MCC though, cannot have all these yummy carbs tempting me when my workouts consist of taking Petee out to walk/go to the bathroom a few times a day... not a lot of calories burned there!)  ;)  Next week (err, I hope I can get motivated) I start training for the half marathon I want to do on May 1st.  It is something I have always wanted to do, and it is on my mental list of things to do before I turn 30...and since 25 hits this year, OMG, I figure it is high time to start a'checkin things off the ol' list!  [Also on the list- start drinking coffee, CHECK!, get a dog, CHECKKK!, and get married, CHECK!!!!, graduate college, double CHECK!, and get a grown-up job.............shoot.  Oh well, good thing I've still got five years to get that one!] 

Oh yah, I also think I will make some homemade salsa this week.  The Pioneer Woman, Ree, she gave me her cookbook for Christmas and I am just in hog heaven (who the heck even knows what that means?!) and love it to death.  The salsa recipe isn't even in her cookbook, it just keeps showing up on the side of her homepage on the website and I am taking that as a sign that I should make it!  (annnd then give it away or eat in on chicken because that will be the lowest calorie option... darn you healthy lifestyle reinstated!) However, that will mean I really DO need that expensive food processor I asked for this Christmas! 

Speaking of Christmas, Mr. Brown did a VERY good job in the present department!

1. Beautiful Gap scarf that I LOVE:

2. VERA BRADLEY BAG!!!!!!  YESSSS to the max!!!! 

3. Magnets with our wedding pictures on them!  Precious: 

Oh and I just got off the phone with the aforementioned "Mr. Brown" and he is "sending me a list" dun, dun dunnnnnn... yikes.  He must think that since I don't have a job, all I do is piddle around and do nothing right now.  Yah right!  Does this look like nothing??  ;)

Mmm, happy day.  :)

Soooo Now What?

Ok so I am done with college, have a degree, two actually, and am sitting here in my apartment drinking some coffee and sitting with my napping dog on our oversized and perfect couch.  I haven't showered for who knows how long (I do), I can't see the floor in our living room, and we don't have any milk.  [It is ever so obvious what I should be doing right now...I know...]

What do I do now?  Shouldn't someone be handing me a job?  Aren't employers supposed to be banging down my door with opportunities?  Wait, finding a job takes some effort on my part?  Hoooolllldd on a minute, then why has it always come so easy before??  Ok God, time to drop a job on my doorstep, I'll be [not so]patiently waiting upstairs, on the couch, doing nothing...

I could finish a third degree at MCC, which would require my taking a class this semester, then a couple next semester, but wont that just prolong the inevitable joblessness in which I currently reside? 

 Or I could sub.  And look for a teaching job.  Wasn't that the plan all along?  Isn't that what I want?

I leave you with a photo, not yet from today, because oh holy cow, you don't want to see this, but from New Year's Eve!

Goals.

I am the queen of setting goals and not following through with them.  Like, literally, the amount of incomplete projects and half finished to-do lists to my name could fill a whole room, maybe two.  That being said, go ahead and laugh when I tell you I have a hefty bunch of goals for this 2011 year, one of which is to follow through and stay motivated at the things I say I want to do, sooooo... we'll just have to see I guess. 

Anyway, one of my goals is to be better at capturing and recording the things that are happening all around me.  I want so badly to remember and learn from all that happens this year, and am hoping to be better at not only writing them down, but taking pictures of them.  Maybe we should just try one month at a time... blog and write more, and take more pictures. 

Me and Petee, best dog ever.  Just hanging out while Nick is sick. 

Somewhere around seven years ago I committed to make every year my best year yet, and this year will be no different.  Throughout the trial and challenge I will continue to recommit each day to my man and my God. 

More goals to come.

2010

I feel the need to recap the year, and since, surprise surprise, Mr. and Mrs. Brown failed to get the Christmas letter written/mailed, I suppose here on the ol' blogsie makes sense! 

2010:

January:

- Embarked upon a semester full of 21 hours at K-State and planning a wedding.
- Began premarital counseling. 
- Continued living with Marion and Cousin Beth.
- Spoke to high school girls at a purity conference in Western Kansas.
- Signed up for my first [sprint] triathlon with Sarah.
- Finally quit my job at the Bram. 

February:

- Finally met my favorite baby Tyler.
- Started menu-planning my weeks.
- Continued to train for the tri with Sarah.
- Valentines Day with my man.  

March:

- Made a quick trip to OK to visit friends and parents.
- Spent most of my Spring Break working in Admissions/watching basketball.

 April:

- Wedding showers galore!  We were so blessed by all the wonderful gifts we were given.
- Took and passed the PLT!
- Started reading Beth Moore's book, So Long Insecurity.  

May:

- Watched many best friends graduate from MCC.
- Mother's Day with the our families and Kai's, such a fun time with family.
- Wedding and Finals Week combined...yikes!
- Nick and I got married!!!!!
- Nick turned 24.
- Week long honeymoon to Colorado.

June:

- Camp team training and the start of camps for Mr. Brown.
- Jordan and Becca Strom got married!  Such a beautiful night.
- Abigail and Tyler Lane got married too!  So sad to miss it.
- Best camp ever, Boondocker, with one the best friends/rooms ever!

July:

- Alli and Brian Wilde got married!!!  Such a blessed day, and so lucky to be a part of it!
- MBF Allison and Brent McGlaughlin got married too!  Another beautiful day which I was so lucky and excited to be a part of.
- Sarah turned 22!  Holy cow.
- Completed my very first [sprint] triathlon with Sarah!   Best experience EVER and I am already planning to do two more this summer!

August:

- Nick's brother, Nathan, graduated from Clarkson College.
- Started a Bible study with some wonderful friends.
- Started student teaching/my last semester of college!!!
- Jumped back into youth group at UCC!


September:

- Made my own pumpkin puree from real pumpkins, with which I baked the delicious Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Spice Muffins!  ;)
- We got and started P-90X [which only lasted a couple weeks, but will be starting up again here soon!]
- Sarah and Mark got engaged!  So excited to have another BIL!

October:

- WE GOT PETEE!!!!!!!  Nick surprised me with a puppy for my birthday!  He was wearing a bow and everything [per my request].
- I turned 24 and entered my "mid-twenties" YIKES!  I seriously cannot believe I will be 25 this year?!
- Went with Mom, Sarah, and Alli to pick out Sar's wedding dress!!!

November:

- Taught two units, one over Edgard Allan Poe, and one over the Odyssey.  
- Had two great Thanksgivings with family.
- Had a super fun weekend at Oasis with the UCC youth group.
- Took and passed my English Content Exam.

December:

- Went with a fun group of friends to the Big 12 Championship Game in Dallas.
- Turned in and passed my student teaching portfolio!!!!!!!!
- Nick and I both graduated from K-State.  Celebrated with family afterward.
- Our first married Christmas!  Celebrated a couple nights early because we were so excited!  
- Christmas Eve and Christmas with my family here in Manhattan. FUN fun fun Christmas night with family!
- LOST marathon to the max.
- Christmas with the Reed's and the Brown's in Lincoln.
- Super fun wedding of Steph and Alex Hall, and best New Years Eve party ever!!!!!!!
- This was in January, but another Christmas with Grandma Ann and Papa!

Such a good but incredibly difficult year.  Thankful for good friends, family, my incredibly patient and supportive husband, and a God who has a plan for me. 


"And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  Romans 5:2-5