Round Top Texas

When you grow up in the country, you get very accustomed to it. So when you move to the fourth biggest city in the United States, you find out how much you had and how much you missed. This weekend, though, we got to head out to Round Top, Texas, a small little town nestled somewhere between Houston and San Antonio. Round Top has a population of 90 and an old world charm you could enjoy for years to come. It was so nice to get away from the constant sounds of traffic and neighbors and just sit and soak up the sunshine.

We were, however, in Round Top for a reason. We were attending the annual retreat for newlywed and engaged couples held by our church. Y'all, if you've never been to something like this and you're engaged or married, I highly recommend it. We learned so much and came to understand one another so much more. There's always talk about how men and women are so different but you never really hear anyone expound on those differences too much or explain how to understand and practically apply your knowledge of those differences. Bob and Ann Livesay, our speakers for the weekend, did just that and more, sharing with us a wealth of knowledge that they have accumulated from 44 years of marriage.



Royer's Café

The weekend started with me driving into downtown, picking up Brendan, and then the two of us heading over to pick up the couple we were carpooling with, Justin and Madeleine. Then we began our two hour trip out to Round Top. The trip went mostly without a hitch, until we reached the town of Round Top. Not knowing that we had come in the opposite way that our directions were written for, we drove through the town and unknowingly started heading in the opposite direction of the retreat center. After driving that way without luck for around 5 or so minutes, we decided to turn around and head back into town for some dinner before trying again. We stopped at Royer's Café, famous in Texas for it's pie. We never actually tried any of their pie since the price on the menu completely deterred us (4.75 per slice, 27 for a whole pie). So we had our dinner (I recommend the shrimp BLT, but not the Mexican pasta) and headed back out, this time in the right direction, thanks to the GPS on Madeleine's phone. We arrived just before the first session was about to start but we really had nothing to worry about. It didn't actually start until maybe thirty minutes to an hour later. We got our room assignments and unpacked the car before heading up to the Big House to wait for the start of the first session.

That night we met Bob and Ann and discussed the differences between men and women as outlined in the first few chapters of Genesis. It's not ever something you really think about when you normally read those chapters, but there is so much wisdom in there if you dig deep. After the first session they served brownies and ice cream, we stayed up and talked with some other couples for a little while and then headed off to bed. I don't know about y'all, but any semblance of travel always makes me super tired. And when you're fighting allergies, it just makes it even worse.

The following morning we had breakfast followed by another session with Bob and Ann. That session was followed by a half hour break during which Brendan and I sat on the porch and just enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful weather. I was thoroughly happy to be back in a place where I couldn't hear anything but chirping birds and slamming screen doors. Before long we headed back in for another session with Bob and Ann that was followed up by lunch outside. And lunch was followed up by another break, this one lasting all afternoon. And so what naturally happens when you have a bunch of guy and an empty, grassy space? Either a game of football or Frisbee. I didn't mind though. Brendan hasn't been able to play with a group of guys since we got married 10 months ago and I was able to get some great shots like these ones.



After the game we went into town to do some shopping and site seeing. We walked around for a good bit but never actually bought anything even though the antique shops were a treasure trove of adorable finds. We ended up spending the rest of our break in town before we headed back for our next session. During this session the guys and gals were split up for separate sessions on communication. This was another thing I really liked because we were in a long distance relationship for the two years we dated, we never really honed our communication skills. After those sessions were over, we gathered for a group picture and then headed down to the barn for a barbeque and games. So as to not spoil the retreat for others who will go in years to come, I can't actually disclose what happened during those games.

After the games we were over we had root beer floats while sitting on the front porch listening to the crickets. Others came out to join us and we decided to head back to our house to all play a game together. Justin and Madeleine had brought along a game called "Bang". It's confusing at first, but once you get the gist of it and get it going, it's a lot of fun. We stayed up later than we should have playing that game and then all headed up to bed.

The following morning we got up, repacked our suitcases, made our bed, and headed up to the Big House for breakfast and our final session. This was another one that helped a lot, as it went over resolving conflict without all the yelling and hurting of each other's feelings. After we finished that session, we packed up the car and headed back home. Justin, Madeleine, and Brendan all slept for most of the way while I drove. The road back had tons of bluebells and Indian paint brushes growing by the roadside. And there would be lines of cars parked on the side of the road with people out in the fields picking the flowers and enjoying the brief spots of sunshine in between the rain.

If I could sum this retreat up in a few words, I would say this: it was much needed, thoroughly enjoyed, and what feels like a brand new start for our marriage. Never underestimate the value of taking time off to devote to your marriage. It's one thing I guarantee y'all will never regret.

Peace in the Chaos

Life has been super hectic for us since school started back up again. Just this past week alone we've had a lot on our plates. Sunday we hosted a Super Bowl party (anyone else disappointed that the Broncos lost? That's 2 for 2 for my teams this year) and had around 7 people over. Between going to church, cooking all day and the clean up after I was just plain exhausted. And then Monday, in addition to forgetting my disposable gloves and realizing I was super behind on homework, I had my second of two asthma attacks in a week. Our computer also crashed over the weekend and for some reason this week all my energy just seems to be sapped out of me.

But I don't say all this to complain. It all has a point. Even though all this is going wrong, I'm not unhappy. I'm less stressed than I have been in a while. I'm exhausted, yes, worried, sometimes, and I have little mini anxiety attacks every time I walk out the door thinking I forgot something. But I have peace in all of this chaos. And perhaps it is because I have the peace that passes understanding.

This verse comes from probably one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It's so full of truth and great little nuggets of wisdom that can apply to almost anywhere. But this peace truly does pass understanding. As time goes by and I feel more and more at peace with everything that keeps popping up.  I'm starting to worry less. You could say it's because I have such a good supportive man at my side. And while this is true and he does make my life like 500 times better, it's the other man in my life who truly gives me this peace. And the less and less I worry about the things of this world, the more and more I am at peace.

S'more Dipped Strawberries

So I was having one of those days. You know, the ones where you're craving certain things but nothing as a whole. Today, for me, it was strawberries, chocolate, and marshmallow fluff. Now, at first, I tried to resist since I'm trying to steer clear from treats as much as possible. But eventually I gave in. And this the result:

 

I know, they look amazing, right? So here's how you make them.

Ingredients:

20 Fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup marshmallow fluff

Directions:

Start by melting the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave them in thirty second increments, stirring each time. Do this 4 or 5 times, just until the chocolate is creamy. But be careful. If you heat them up for too long then they'll first become crumbly and then burn.

Put the marshmallow fluff in another bowl if you're like me (a medical major or have any experience in the food industry or just plain OCD, which is perfect okay because I am too) to avoid cross contamination in the original container. Or if you don't mind getting some strawberry juices in the container you can just leave it as is.


Wash your strawberries and drain them well. Then pat them dry with a paper towel. If you don't the fluff won't stick to them and you'll just end up plain old frustrated. Also check to make sure that they aren't over ripe. This will also prevent the fluff from sticking to them. Basically you want a strawberry that's nice and dry on the outside. Otherwise you're going to run into some problems.

Dip the strawberries first in the fluff and then in the chocolate. Then place them gently on a baking sheet. You can either let them air dry or put them in the freezer if you're impatient.

And I know, I really shouldn't eat these. But I've also heard that it's good to satisfy your cravings every once and while. So that makes it all right, doesn't it? So go on. Try one. I dare you. Do it. Do it. You know you want to. I'm so proud of you.

Out of Milk Muffins

I woke up this morning to find that we had no milk. Between my car breaking down and having to go downtown this weekend we didn't get a chance to do any grocery shopping. Normally, I would eat cereal every morning. But since we were out of milk I got creative and so I bring you this recipe.

 

Out of Milk Muffins

Yield: 2 servings

 

Ingredients:

 

2 English muffins, cut in half

2 Eggs

2 Slices of Colby Jack Cheese

2 Slices of Roast Beef Lunch Meat (or meat of your choice)

Honey Butter Spead

 

Start by frying your eggs. I like to do this by cracking them in the frying pan, adding just a little bit of water, covering them with a lid and letting them cook that way. But how you do it is totally up to you. While they're frying, toast your English muffins and butter them with the honey butter spread. When the eggs are finished, stack them on the muffins with the cheese. Then brown your lunch meat and stack it on top. Finish by topping it off with the other half of the muffin. And voila! Breakfast in a jiff!

 

Now for those of you working on a "New Year, new you" resolution, don't worry. One muffin is only 297 calories and is loaded with 17 grams of protein! The best way to start off your morning!



Holiday Round-up

Happy New Year y'all! How was your Christmas? Did you make any resolutions?

This holiday season was especially busy for me and Brendan. We had originally planned, before we got married, to spend our first Christmas alone, with just the two of us. Those plans changed when Brendan got a new job (and, subsequently, a few more vacation days) and my family decided that I really needed to come home (I did too-I was so homesick).

Because what else do you do while you're waiting for
the show to start?

The week before Christmas one of my best friends from nursing school, Bethany, flew all the way to Houston just to see me. And we got into some shenanigans! The first night she was here we stayed up till probably one in the morning watching Psych and funny youtube videos. We had tickets the following day for Houston's First Baptist's Celebration, a Christmas show. I was really impressed by the quality of the show (and I rarely am-comes from being in theater since I was a child). They really went all out and held nothing back. I need to get in on this show next time they do it!

The following day Brendan had to work and we started doing damage to our bank accounts. We went shoe shopping, clothes shopping (multiple times that week), got manicures, went out to lunch, drove around Houston, recorded a song using nothing but garage band on my iphone, went out to see Christmas lights, went to Christmas parties and anything else we could find to do. I felt like I was back home and back in my first year of college. What we did that week were all of our destressers (is that a word?) from those first two semesters of trying to get through our pre-clinical classes.

We also baked (what's Christmas without Christmas cookies?) and made a gingerbread house. The cookies we made are called Italian Knot Cookies and I encourage to try the recipe (found here) because they are so so so good! Probably not good for your New Year's resolutions, but we won't talk about that. Our gingerbread house was a kit we got from Walmart on a shopping run later that week. I've never made a gingerbread house from scratch but I have a dream to someday do it! And if I get really good at it, my mom has an old Christmas cookie book that has the recipe and pattern to make a Notre Dame cathedral gingerbread house (would it still be considered a house at that point?). I've been wanting to make that thing since I learned to bake as a teenager. So one of these days, possibly in the far, far future, I will make that gingerbread house/cathedral and then probably refuse to let anyone eat it till it goes bad or falls apart. I mean, you wouldn't eat artwork, right?

At the end of the week, both of us had a flight back to Baltimore. Our original problem was that we were flying out of two different airports. Bethany's was north of the city and ours was south of the city. Thankfully, Bethany has an aunt who lives in Houston and she spent the afternoon with her and therefore had a ride to the airport.

One of my terribly cute traveling buddies

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:30pm. It was our first time flying with our dog so we decided to leave an hour earlier just to make sure we wouldn't have any problems with checking him in and getting him through security. We arrived only to find that our flight had been delayed to 9:20, giving us about three hours to make it through security and to our gate. There was a storm literally cutting off the west side of the country from the east side of the country from Canada to the Gulf. So we picked up some dinner from a wonderfully overpriced airport Wendy's and then settled in to our gate to wait armed with iphone games and a magazine with health studies in it for me and a novel for Brendan. And so we waited. And waited. And waited.

We assumed that we would begin boarding around 9pm. That time came and a plane, full of passengers, came into the gate and started off loading. And so we waited some more. Boarding began around 9:30 and, being in the last section to board, we probably got on the plane around 10. Once we had finally found a seat (I'm not sure how much I like Southwest's open seating policy), I took a nap and Brendan (probably) kept reading his book.

We landed around 1:30am and made it back to my parent's house around 4 in the morning. And boy were we exhausted. We settled in for about 6 hours before we woke up for church. I was excited to go back to the church I had been attending since infancy and I thoroughly enjoyed the worship and sermon, that, strangely enough, didn't feel so much like home any more.

On Monday, my older sister Sarai, Brendan and I took my two littlest sisters, Eliana (age 5) and Sofia (age 3) out to Chick-fil-A for lunch and then to the mall for last minute Christmas shopping and a movie so mom could play Santa and wrap up their gifts. We all met up at the Chick-fil-A were I got to see some of my old coworkers and Eliana and Sofia got their much loved nuggets and fries. After lunch we went across the street to the mall where we sent Brendan off to do his own shopping so I could get him his Christmas present, a new wedding band. He lost his a couple months ago and I couldn't get him a new one in Houston because he checks our bank account almost daily and I didn't want to tip him off. But at my parents' house, where his use of the internet is more limited, I was able to pull it off.

After we finished our shopping, we took the little girls to see Frozen. I highly recommend this movie. It's very well done, great for smaller children and bigger children alike, and the songs are terribly catchy. It was my little sisters' first time to the movies so they were a little scared when the lights went out and Eliana was too light to keep her chair seat from popping up, but all in all I think they enjoyed themselves.

On Christmas Eve my family drove up to Connecticut to spend the night at my aunt and uncle's house. Brendan and I went and had breakfast at IHOP with Jaimie and Bethany before spending the day relaxing and watching Christmas movies. That night we attended Sarai's church for the Christmas Eve service before heading back to my parents' house to finish present wrapping and put them all under the tree. Our family is continuing to grow-my brother is on his second child and I got married this past summer-so there were quite a few presents under the tree. It took us a good few minutes to bring them all upstairs from the basement and get them all in a spot where they wouldn't be tripped over or fall and break.

Christmas morning didn't have much to remark. Brendan and I slept in for the first time since our flight and Y'shua, Katie, Dixie, and Sarai all came over. We opened a few presents from each other before they headed off to Katie's mom's house for dinner. We started working on Christmas dinner and watched a DVD Brendan had gotten me for Christmas. My family finally made it back around 4pm and while dinner was being finished, the mania of passing out presents and opening them began. It's quite an event at our house and takes two or three trash bags to keep the mess contained. There were quite a few squeals of delight from the babies as they opened their gifts and got things they really wanted. My favorite gift was one from Brendan-a Canon Rebel T3i that I had been wanting for a really long time.

Dinner was when things got really interesting. Between in-laws and "adopted" family we had about twenty or so people and not enough seats to put them in. So we just got really creative. Refer to the following pictures.


This is the normal dining table (most of it)



The foremost end of the table

This is one of the kitchen counters.
Tony built it to be like a bar but it only has
three chairs. Everyone else was standing

Sarai and Keturah grabbed the chairs from the office
and used the counter to hold their plates and drinks.



Houston Zoo Lights

We spent the rest of the week doing various different things. We went ice skating with Bethany, had doggy play dates with Henry (Sarai's dog), ran errands, went to see The Desolation of Smaug, I got my hair done by the best hair stylist ever (Jen who works at La Bella Vita) and played with the little ones. All the while we anxiously waited for Katie to go into labor. We would still be waiting when we left that weekend. Saturday came and it was time for us to go back home to Houston. We packed up most of our things and I ran over to Jaimie's house to drop off a Christmas card and present. We sat and talked about various things for a while before I had to head back to finish packing before it was time to leave. We made it back, safe and sound, on another delayed flight around midnight and that night I thankfully collapsed in my own bed.

Delaware has been my home since I was born. I traveled but always came back. When I moved to Houston almost 7 months ago, I was terribly homesick and had a large amount of culture shock. All I wanted to do was go back to Delaware. But this trip made me realize something-my roots may be in Delaware but, and I never thought I would say this, Texas is my home. And there truly is no place like home.

That awkward week that separates Christmas from New Years was uneventful for us. Brendan went back to work, we tried to catch up on errands, and I did what seemed to be fifty loads of laundry. But New Years Eve we all got what we had been waiting for. Katie had her baby!

William Levi was born at 11:23am at a whopping 8lb, 7oz and 22 inches long. He's the first boy in my immediate family to be born in 25 years! Unfortunately he had swallowed something called meconium before he was born and it got in his lungs. He has spent his whole life in the NICU thus far but God has answered so many, many prayers that were raised up for this little boy and his is now off of his oxygen, IV and draining tube and just remaining there for a few more days to make sure he's all right. If everything turns out fine, he gets to go home tomorrow! He's a little fighter and thank God for answered prayers.

So this is how my family rang in the New Year-worried, anxious and praying for this little boy's life to be spared. Nobody wanted to lose this precious little one. But I know, just as God has worked a miracle and saved little Will, so will He work so many more miracles in this coming year both for you and for me. I've already gotten my first one-I got into Microbiology after fighting with the school to let me in the class for several months! So as we go into 2014 all I can say is praise God for all His marvelous works!

Turkey Comas

Are you still in a turkey coma? Did you watch all the football games? Are you dreading eating all those leftovers? Typical after Thanksgiving questions that get some very interesting answers, I'll give you that.

We (Julia and I; her and her husband Isaac came in from San Antonio for Thanksgiving) decided to make duck instead of turkey since there were only four of us eating dinner. Brendan and I, after searching the web to find out who sells duck in the city of Houston, got it from an Asian market called 99 Ranch. It was a very...interesting experience.

Anyway, we still had plenty of leftovers despite our efforts to cook small and even after sending Isaac and Julia home with half of the leftovers, Brendan and I are still overwhelmed with enough leftover food to feed a small army. So today I bring you a recipe that may help get rid of some of that leftover poultry. And no, it isn't a sandwich or a casserole.

 

Fruity Duck Salad

 

Okay so I'm not very good at naming things, but it'll make sense in a second.

 

 

Ingredients:

Cooked, shredded duck (or other leftover poultry)

1 Avocado, diced

6 strawberries, quartered

1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

2 mandarin oranges

Spring leaf lettuce mix

 

1. Pile your plate with leafy goodness

 

2. Place mandarin orange slices around the edges of the plate

 

3. Place about a half an avocado in the center of your growing salad.

 

4. Place little piles of blueberries in three strategic locations where they won't roll off and also help your salad look fantastic.

 

5. Place strawberry slices in a smaller ring inside the orange barricade.

 

6. Sprinkle with mushrooms.

 

7. Top with shredded duck (or other assorted poultry).

 

8. Top with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

As you can so obviously tell, Brendan just loves green
leafy things

 Also, as a side note, as you can tell from the picture of Brendan, our Christmas tree has gone up!! I love Christmas and was hardly able to contain myself until the day AFTER Thanksgiving to put up our decorations. But I made it (just barely) and Friday morning, with the help of our Julia and our boys, we put up our very first Christmas tree as newlyweds. Yay us! Now to fill all that lonely space under the tree...and buy more ornaments! This thing is looking shabby!

First Christmas as newlyweds! I found this sweet little
ornament at the Nutcracker Market a while back.

 



5k's and Flowers

We've been busy the past few weeks. Life here is finally starting to settle down and even out (5 months into our marriage). With our finances now evening out we finally managed to get a kitchen table and a couch and are now taking on a project a weekend.



Run for Hope Houston

The last weekend of October we did two 5k's in two days (not a good idea if you haven't run in several months and just started back up again). The first was through our church, Houston's First Baptist, to benefit an organization called Legacy 685 that gives interest free loans and grants to families going through the adoption process. This race was timed and slightly competitive. For someone who just picked up running again a week before, we didn't do too bad. I placed 255th with an overall time of 45:37 and a 14:50/k pace. Brendan placed right behind me by about a half second and a time of 14:52/k. At the end of the race we were treated to free Chick-fil-A and ice cream while we chatted with some friends from church before running of to pick up our packets for our next race, The Color Run.

We had The Color Run the following day in a rain storm. By the time we actually started the race, the rain had reduced to a drizzle and half way through it stopped. Still, I can't say I enjoyed this Color Run as much as I enjoyed my one in Baltimore. The group of people was less enthusiastic overall, which kind of just killed the mood. We walked the whole way since we were tired from the day before, and, true my word, I got Brendan covered in pink. Because of this he literally stopped in the orange zone to try and cover the pink. But not before I got a picture. I mostly enjoyed it because it gave us time to talk as a couple about things we normally don't talk about because we don't have the time. But with 3.1 miles to walk and all the time in the world to do it, it was much easier and the conversation just flowed. That was until we hit the yellow zone and I took an eye full of yellow powder. I think I was crying that stuff out for about five minutes and then my eyes still hurt. Moral of the story-wear sunglasses or close your eyes. All-in-all it was a fun weekend and was kind of a kick starter for finally getting our life as a couple underway.



This past weekend we took on our weekly task of straightening up the apartment (since both of us work pretty much all day during the week). Our project for the weekend was our sadly neglected balcony and our miniature schnauzer who was in desperate need of being groomed. We dropped him off at his appointment at Petsmart on Wallisville (you should ask for Ana as your groomer; she did a wonderful job with Jesse) and then went over to the Lowe's next door to look for flowers. Now, I have to say, being from the East Coast, Texas weather is throwing me off. It's now November and I've maybe only been cold enough to put on a sweater twice and that was in the early morning. Once the sun comes all the way up, it's warm enough again to make you regret wearing a sweater and boots. That being said, it was really weird for me to plant flowers on the second day of November. And they aren't dying yet. Which is weird. Really, really weird (unless you're a Texan and used to these things.) We picked up a couple of orchids for the house and then some pansies, petunias, marigolds, dusty miller, and whatever that plant in the middle is (I just liked how it looked, so I got it.) We also got a hanging pot of gerbera daisies and a green lawn chair to enjoy those cooler days when you just want to sit outside and take in the weather.

Our little Jesse, all cleaned up

Halfway through transplanting them all into a rather large pot, I got a call that the dog was ready for pick up. So I finished up and went and got him. And when they brought him out, I thought he was the wrong dog! He had been so fluffy for so long that to see him all shaved and snazzed up was a weird thing for me. I think I prefer him fluffy though so next time I think we're just going to get him trimmed and the matted parts combed out. Until then he looks like a proper schnauzer and not a poodle like everyone usually thinks. Oh and his sharp little talons have finally been grinded down enough so that every time he jumps on someone, he won't be leaving a rather long, painful scratch mark.

My final feat for the weekend was making lasagna for the first time. In all the years I've been cooking (maybe 5 or 6) I have always dreaded making it. I've watched my mom and even my stepdad do it and let me tell you they must have all the patience in the world to work on it for that long. I cheated a little bit and bought the ready to cook, no need to boil noodles just because I was so afraid I would mess it up. I used a recipe my sister sent to me via email and I'm pretty sure when she was typing it up she left out some ingredients. Imagine the anxiety that caused me. But, being the savvy cook that I am I was able to salvage it through some, ahem, educated guesses and it actually turned out pretty good. I also found my new favorite way to make garlic bread-French bread cut in half, spread with butter and sprinkled with garlic powder and shredded parmesan cheese. It's so much better than the stuff you buy from the frozen aisle.

And I'll leave you for now with this-a little gif of what happens when Jesse escapes from a bath. Have a good week y'all!