To Blog or not To Blog...

The easy answer to the title's query has in all cases been "not" to Blog. I blame myself...mostly because it's my fault....I told my wife I'd be the next to Blog and she called my bluff and waited me out....hence 2 1/2 months of zero blogeration. My wife's stubbornness is unrivaled...she is an immovable oak tree that even my dashing good looks and whimsical charm can't shake (most of the time). So without further ado.....BLOG:

Let us take a stroll down the last 75 days (with pictures to keep it interesting because let's be honest, I'm not that entertaining but the people in my life are very attractive and therefore fun to look at...)

November 6-8th: WURSTFEST

There are no proper ways to describe the joy of such an event. Sausage; beer; potato pancakes; fried oreos; polka music; and people dressed up in full-on vintage German garb. Classic. Wurstfest has become my college roommate's and my yearly reunion destination. An ingenious excuse for each of us to make the extra effort to see one another; even if it does mean flying in from Connecticut, California, and driving 3 hours with two kids under the age of four. These guys, their wives and children included, are some of my favorite people in the world. It is amazing to me how we can go up to a year without seeing one another, and within 10 minutes we are back in bantering stride like we were chilling at our house in College Station. I will however point out a dramatic shift in our Wurstfest tradition festivities. Last year ended with Keith, Leach, and me sipping scotch in the hot tub at 3am discussing what must of been pontifications of true brilliance. This year however may have been influenced by the presence of 5 little ones (one a new-born with an ear-infection and projectile up heaving...POOR GIRL!!). Wurstfest was attended...but during the daylight hours so the kiddos could ride the rides and we could take pictures. Home by 9pm and ready for bed by 10pm. No scotch. Does this mean we are grown ups now? Absolutely not. It does however show that the event is not what matters, but rather time together as friends. I am so thankful for them!

Thanksgiving 2010: CT Style

Kelley's parents decided to join us for Thanksgiving in the great state of CT. This was much appreciated as Kelley and I were saving our vacation days for Christmas and were in need of some family time. It also gave us a chance to show off our new diggs and some of the places we love up here. We hit the parks, NYC, and some great restaurants...covered some serious ground. Jaida was also quite appreciative of the visitors. I don't think she's ever been walked so many times in one week.

Christmas 2010: Ft Worth / Houston

10 action packed days booked in Texas (which turned into 14 days due to Snowmaggedon in the NE). Let me take this moment to thank Continental for their outstanding customer service during this fiasco. There is nothing more comforting than a recorded message that LITERALLY says we're to busy to take your call and then hangs up on you. Incredible. But I digress...

Kelley and I had the following schedule while in Texas:

• Saturday - Rehearsal Dinner for Tom & Laura
• Sunday - Wedding T&L
• Monday - Christmas #1 with the Ellis family and Chad & Lindsay's.
• Tuesday - Kelley's birthday dinner @ FOGO DE CHAO
• Wednesday - Dinner with the Hill's
• Thursday - Kelley's b-day and drive to Ft. Worth (w/ Waco stop)
• Friday - Christmas #2 with the extended Ellis family
• Saturday - Drive to Houston and Christmas #3 with the Samu clan.

Too much to go into detail on...pictures to help fill in the details:

I know what you're thinking...I look good in my one-sie. And the answer is yes; there is a butt-flap for premium convenience in addition to the incomparable comfort. This will be worn again...and again. Lucky girl Kelley.

You've been blogged.

Adam

Who Are Your Sheep?

John 14:12-13 The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. (Message Translation)

This is bold! I mean this is Jesus talking, telling his disciples that they (we) will do great works, just as he has done during his time on earth. And this comes after he has done things such as giving a blind man the ability to see, and feeding 5,000 from one kid's sack lunch. I think the part that really hit me were his words, "even greater." You see, Jesus knew that he was leaving a world that was still very lost and broken; a world where the majority of people were yet to know the Living God. Even a great deal of those who witnessed Jesus's miracles refused to believe! However, Jesus still had to leave the earth, thus presenting his disciples with a great task. Don't worry though - Jesus had reason for his boldness. He knew that though he had to leave this earth, we would not be left alone. No -- by laying down his life for us, we could receive the Holy Spirit, and therefore never be alone. Now our responsibility is to keep in step with the Spirit and make bold requests of God so that He can work in us - just as He did through Jesus while he was on this earth - and therefore make Himself known.

One part of the book of John that I have loved is that with each of Jesus's miracles the author records, he makes it very clear that Jesus was doing these things for one specific purpose: that people would see and believe in the God that sent him. That should be our purpose in all that we do. That is what Jesus was so boldly calling us to do. I do not think that we need to pray for the ability to turn one lunch into 5,000, but we can pray for the ability and the opportunity to be Jesus to those around us.

Adam's sweet grandmother reminded me that Adam is not the only sheep that needs loving on and tending to - there are so many out there that need a shepard, and Jesus has called us to take on that task in His name.

2 Timothy 1:7 God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (The Message)

Snacks for your Hubby

If you have a husband like I do that needs 3 large meals and at least 2 large snacks every day, go ahead and throw one of these in there...

Cherry Almond Oat Snack Cake

1 1/2 Cups low fat buttermilk

1/2 Cup steel-cut oats (steel cut is key)

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 Cup packed brown sugar (I like dark)

1/4 Cup butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 Cup dried cherries

1/3 Cup (or more) sliced almonds (reserve some for sprinkling on top)

Combine buttermilk and oats; cover and refrigerate 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Place sugar and softened butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer or cream by hand until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat until well blended. Stir in oat mix until well blended. Add mixed flours, baking powder, soda, and salt, mixing just until moist. Stir in cherries and most of almonds. Sprinkle remaining almonds on top.

Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and spoon in mix. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cut into squares and put in your and your hubby's lunch.

Enjoy.

p.s. These have a slight maple flavor, even though there is no maple in them. If you wanted something a little sweeter, I think about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a half cup powdered sugar wisked together would make delicious glaze (test out those proportions there until you get a consistency you like...add milk to thin it out). :)

Adventures, Kelley & Adam Style

I think it is impossible to drive through Connecticut in the fall and not think, "Man, God is cool." It is absolutely beautiful here! So, Adam and I went to our favorite park that we haven't been to since the trees changed to see if we could capture some of the beauty. Maybe God gives us all this beauty and perfect weather because He knows it will be dead and dreary soon after. All I know is that I am thankful for it right now. It makes me happy when I'm sitting in traffic on my way to work and relaxes me on my way home.


Now bear with me because we have been terrible about blogging lately and we have some catching up to do! I'll move backwards through the weekends...
Last weekend Adam and I finally got to go do some real NYC exploring. We had tickets for Manhattan by Sail, so we took the train out early to do some necessary playing. After arriving, we made our way through Times Square and on to Central Park. Since food trucks are becoming more popular and apparently have some great food, I had some mapped out. Lucky for us, 4 of them had set up shop in Central Park a couple days ago, and after our walk we were ready to dive in. I'd have to say that my favorite was the Rickshaw truck - fresh steamed dumplings, rock music playing out a small speaker, and "totally rad" painted on the side. We also tried the turkish taco truck right next to it, which were also delicious. We then made our way to the pier (ended up having to take the subway so we wouldn't be late...the subway system is confusing!) so we could catch our boat. Thank goodness God brought the sun out on what was otherwise a slightly overcast day - it was windy on that boat! But despite the wind, we had a great time and got to see the City from a cool viewpoint. What a fun day! And I have to say, I do like the trains. It's nice that after a long day of walking around a huge city you can just relax and let a train take you home.


Ok, last thing, I promise. A few weekends prior to this (we spent a couple weekends settling into our new home) we were able to go up to an orchard in Chesire, CT and pick apples. So fun. And cheap! (Adam has become an apple snob after tasting Honeycrisp apples, the most expensive kind, but these were all the same low price!) Equipped with a couple of bags to load up, we walked up to rows and rows of apples and peaches, all for us! You actually have to show a little restraint when you have all of those delicious apples hanging right over your head - I wanted to pick them all!












On our way home from the orchard we had to stop at a homemade ice cream shop, which was exceptionally delicious (and mine was somehow defying gravity).

We are having fun exploring up here! Feel free to come join us any time :)

The NY Shore

Alright, time to finally put a few words to the waves...

It is a little strange that by moving up north we actually became closer to beaches. I know that there is the East Coast (and were on it!), but beaches seem like such a southern, hot weather, Gulf of Mexico thing. I guess that is what happens when you live in Texas all your life. Beaches were not in my head when we first started talking about moving to Connecticut, but when I realized how close we were to them, I was slightly excited. Now, I have to admit, my first visit to a beach up north was, well, a little bit of a let down. Our friend Laurie had come for a visit, and we decided to check out the beaches that were no more that 10 minutes away from where we were living. What an exciting idea! We would go play on the beaches and in the water, and I would probably spend the rest of my summer there. Not so much (sorry, Laurie). Dont get me wrong, the sand and water were pretty, but where were the waves?? This was obviously before I realized that the Connecticut beaches were blocked off by the New York beaches (remember, I am a math major - geography is far from my thing). This left the Connecticut beaches looking more like lakes, and me deciding I need a stand-up paddle surf board. It wasn't really until my brother, who surfs every day that he gets the chance (check out surfingtheisland.com), told me I should go check out the waves rolling in with the hurricane. This sent me in search of where the real waves are...New York. So that weekend Adam and I packed what (unfortunately) little beach supplies we had up here and made the short drive to the New York coast. As you can see, there were some nice little waves rolling in that I'm sure would have provided some fun rides if my board were present. The beaches were beautiful, crowded as they were. It makes me excited to further explore and (and test out at some point) the surf spots and surf community up here. Who knows, maybe we'll go to the NY Surf Film Festival this weekend, or get to check out a competition.



This last picture was just to show that we found Honeycrip apples (the kind that turned Adam into an apple snob) at a farmer's market up here. We were excited. They have some great markets up here.

Home Sweet...Home?

I think that what a lot of people call home is where they grew up. You know, you might say that you're going "home" for the holidays. Well it gets a little confusing when you officially move away from home. Now I'm not just talking going away to college, or in mine and Adam's case, getting married and living five minutes from "home." I'm talking you now live very far from home (which is Houston). Let's say...Connecticut.

I had the opportunity to "go home" just recently for a little over two weeks, and Adam was able to join me for a short period of that time. I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that we loved being there. We were able to spend precious, meaningful and fun times with our family and friends, and of course squeeze some Tex-Mex in. However, when those two weeks at "home" came nearing their end, I found myself strangely ready to be home. Maybe it was because my husband was already there (and life is always best when you're with your husband), or maybe because that is where God has called us to be for the next however many years of our life, and He wants me to be happy there. Whatever it is, it felt good to be back up north. Literally. It felt good. Like 75 degrees good.

Luckily I got to fly in on a Friday night, which meant a weekend to spend with Adam and Jaida, who I had also been missing (poor puppy had to stay at Camp Bow Wow while we were gone). We of course had to take advantage of the amazing weather and head to our favorite park for some quality frisbee time.

It felt good to be cooking in our kitchen and sleeping in our bed (even if it is a temporary apartment). It is strange what God does in your heart when He moves you somewhere totally new, far away from "home," and you allow Him to give you peace about it. Now don't worry all of our friends and family, I still desire to live next door to each one of you, maybe on a giant cul-de-sac. But for now, you have an open invitation to come and stay with us in our home.

What I want to be when I grow up....

Yeah I'm 30, shut up. I can still dream right?? These are things I write down in my journal (the one that has a unicorn on the cover....well not a unicorn...a horse with a sword coming out his head...that guards my hopes and dreams). I want to be Guy Fieri. If you're not sure who I'm talking about, then you're probably a man who doesn't watch food network. Fine, I watch Food Network...what of it?? Guy Fieri hosts a show called "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"...and this is my dream job.



First...a disclaimer. The way Guy bleaches his hair and wears his sunglasses on the back of his head and has 6 different rings on at one time typcially is a deal breaker for me. There is a term I would use for such an individual normally that I will not post on this blog because my wife does not approve of the aforementioned term. But dang it....he's likeable anyways.



Back to "triple D" as it is normally referenced. Have you ever wanted to go back into the kitchen of your favorite restaurant? Have the chef prepare a few special items just for you? This is the job. Travel all over the country to some of the best down home cookin' spots...meet the owners...watch the chef's make their specialities...and then eat them. Oh yeah and get paid for it. What the what???!!!?? This is a job???? Where was my high school counselor on this one? Where was the box on the personality test labeled "likes to get paid to eat good food on TV"? I would checked the crap out of that box. But I get to sit in front of a computer screen all day. Awesome.



I tried to think of the sports equivilant to this job. (Trying to redeem myself as a man now that I've admitted my love for Food Network). This is like getting paid to travel to the best college basketball schools and NBA teams in the U.S.; meeting the coaches and players, getting to play a few pick up games and run some of the plays out of their playbook, and taking home a jersey from each. Sign me up. I'm ready.