Bridesmaid again...

This weekend, I will be in the second wedding I've been in over the past 2 months; I also attended a third. This is majorly pushing my wedding quota, I'll have you know. The only redeeming fact is that I get to dance (YEAH!) and wear a beautiful dress. Expensive, yes, but beautiful. So I will endure yet another wedding, a Christmas one, which incidentally, would be my absolute dream come true. But look at the bright side - at least I have a date for this one! Even if I won't get to sit next to him.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Now, I am as big a Christmas freak as you will ever find, and I love almost everything about the season. But I have to say Thanksgiving runs a close second for a number of reasons.

1. It always brings with it an awesome 4-day weekend!
2. The food rules, although I'm already feeling guilty about it and it hasn't even begun yet.
3. It holds the promise of Christmas-yet-to-come - I love the excitement of getting ready for Christmas and all the activities that happen around the holiday. And on Thanksgiving, there is still so much to anticipate over the next month.
4. The shopping. I can't last very long with the crazy crowds, but the great deals are worth the effort to me. Plus, the malls are decorated so awesome these days that I could go and just stare at the decor and be happy.

So, I'm looking forward to this long weekend. I will miss my sisters, but we will have fun with my parents and Tyler and enjoy this opportunity to be with them. So, enjoy your Thanksgiving and the time with family and friends. We truly have so much for which to be thankful.

New York Picture Gallery

Matt finished updating his website, which includes picture galleries from our New York trip and the Queen concert. There are some great pictures, so I thought you would all love the chance to check it out. :-) Is everyone aware that there are only 46 days until Christmas? How did that happen, by the way? Well, I have no time to have any other poignant thoughts, so enjoy the pictures and all your Christmas preparations...

What's a weekend?

I used to have weekends. I watched "What Not to Wear" on Friday nights (I really do miss that) and some NASCAR if it was on and stay up late reading. I would sleep in on Saturdays, watch TV for a little while, read, take a shower whenever I wanted to, and just generally hang out and waste time. I no longer have such a thing as a weekend. I looked at the calendar and realized that there is something on the calendar for either Friday night or Saturday or both for every weekend until Christmas. Literally. Most of it's pretty fun stuff, so it's not that I'm not excited about it. Especially doing all the fun holiday things with Matt. But I really can't figure out what happened to actually having a Saturday. And I wonder why my house is never clean and nothing seems to be organized anymore.

NASCAR? What?

I have to say, my NASCAR obsession has cooled quite a bit lately. This has coincided interestingly enough with the time I started dating Matt. In the past, I would watch qualifying on Friday, practice and the Busch race on Saturday, and the Cup race on Sundays. Faithfully. I would fit in the truck races when I could, but I was religious about the rest. But especially as we've been gone and busy over the past month, I think I've watched one race live in the past 4 or 5 weeks and maybe one taped. I've taped the others but haven't even had time to watch the tape! I'm concerned about myself - I think I may be caring less about it these days. Maybe if my Ford guys were running a little better in the points standings I would be more compelled to watch. I think the main thing is that if I can't see it live, it's hard for me to get into the taped version. And if I know the outcome, sometimes it's hard to care about how they got there. Unless someone really good won or there was a great wreck. I am somewhat distraught about this new trend, but considering the fact that the season is almost over, I only have 4 more races to correct the trend. I have posted this picture of me and Carl Edwards at Kansas Speedway last year - maybe that will inspire me to be a better fan. We'll see what happens. I may need some prayer soon.

Recipe

Okay, here is the chicken enchilada recipe (the house still smells like garlic, by the way - it's so wonderful):

8 6-inch tortillas
1/2 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. margarine or butter
3 tbsp. flour
8 oz. carton of sour cream
2 c. chicken broth
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Monterey-Jack cheese
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)

optional: sliced pitted ripe olives
optional: chopped tomatoes
optional: sliced green onions

Wrap tortillas in foil. Heat oven to 350 - warm tortillas for 10-15 minutes or till softened. (I never did this, but I'll stick in here in case you're ambitious.)
For sauce, in a saucepan, cook onion, garlic, coriander, and pepper in margarine or butter until onion is tender. Stir flour into sour cream; add to onion mixture. Stir in broth and chili peppers at once. (I never used the chili peppers, FYI.) Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 c. of cheese.
For filling, stir 1/2 c. of the sauce into chicken. Place about 1/4 c. of filling atop each tortilla; roll up. Arrange rolls, seam side down, in a lightly greased 12"x7 1/2"x2" baking dish. Top with remaining sauce. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 min. or till heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes more or till cheese melts. If desired, sprinkle with olives, tomatoes, and/or green onions. Let stand 10 minutes.

I hope it turns out as well for you as it did for me. As a side note, the coolest thing ever today was watching something Matt was selling on eBay - it went from $80.00 with about 7 minutes to go to a final sale price of $177.50. It was SO sweet to click refresh and watch the price go higher and higher. Not so sweet when you're a bidder, but more than fun as a seller. Or a seller's girlfriend. I know I get worked up about sports and stuff, but it's more fun when he's actually making some money!! He suggested getting popcorn to sit and watch the next item end. I am all for it - much better than a movie.

Chicken Enchiladas

Matt's still working on the pictures, but here's one of us and a link to the website with pictures from the Queen concert.
Yesterday I made these chicken enchiladas for dinner. It's one of those things where you feel like you're making 4 different components at once and it seems like a balancing act, but when they were done, oh my word, what joy they brought to me. I knew Matt liked them because I had made them once before, but I forgot how good they were. It is SO worth the work! My house still smells like garlic. Such a beautiful thing. I am getting excited and am beginning to salivate as I think about eating the leftovers tonight. That and continuing to clean my insane house that still suffers from the remnants of our New York trip and my inability to be home for one single solitary night since I returned. Ooohh, but I have that caramel corn from Heather at home, too...okay, I'm going now.

Two months till Christmas!!

New York City

Okay, I'll make this as concise as possible. Our trip was absolutely awesome! We did miss our flight out, and I was really frustrated with myself for running us that close on time, but we didn't have any plans for that day, so at least it didn't throw off the trip in that way. Although I can no longer say that I've never missed a flight in my life. So the first thing we did when we got to NY was eat dinner. We picked Planet Hollywood, and it ended up being smack dab in the center of Times Square. I have to say, it was amazing to step out of the cab in the middle of all the lights and people and the city life. I loved it. On Saturday, we took a bus tour that hit all the high points of the city. We got off near the site of the Twin Towers and walked around for a while at the south end of Manhattan. That was probably one of the most memorable parts of the trip for me - just being able to see Ground Zero, to see all the people that were there, and to experience it in person. We saw some amazing churches that day as well - awesome architecture and incredible organ music in one of them...I'm getting hungry, so I think I'll write more later. But Matt is going to put a bunch of the pictures on a website, so I will let you know where that is so you can check it all out (it's, like, 4 pictures of us and 444 pictures of buildings and Queen...that's my boyfriend). He's too cute.

Tagged?

Okay, Heather tagged me, and I've never seen this before, but it looked like fun. I'm a loser, too, Heth, so don't worry about it. She said that this meme is a little like a chain letter, in that you put your blog on the bottom of the list and bump the other blogs up.

1. Hind’s Feet
2. Dandelions & Roses
3. Lifenut
4. From Under the Laundry Pile
5. Waverly Rules

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was a freshman at Central Bible College in Springfield, MO, very much alone and scared and missing my family, especially my 2-year-old brother. I had just made the "cut" for the traveling drama team, though, so that was the highlight of those early months, for sure. I don't know if I would have stayed had it not been for that ministry and the relationships I formed there.

What were you doing 5 years ago?
I was working at the National Youth Department for the Assemblies of God, probably just having returned from the Speed the Light Summit at Reynolds Plantation near Atlanta, Georgia. Always a fun trip - I was also singing in the choir at Central Assembly and helping with the youth choir.

What were you doing one year ago?
Working on the Harvest Party with Maggie...figuring out how to get my first kid's Christmas musical off the ground with the great help of Kerri Buresh.

What were you doing yesterday?
Matt's grandmother's funeral...then we went to Waterloo for a little bit. Read at Barnes & Noble and ate some great desserts and had coffee. Talked with Jenny, worked on laundry from the trip, and met with Melanie.

5 snacks you enjoy
Fat-free Pringles with A&E Light Party dip
fresh, hot, soft chocolate peanut butter chip cookies (or any fresh, hot, soft cookies)
Captain Crunch cereal, or any cereal for that matter (Amen, Heather)
Rolos
This toffee stuff that Denise Negen made - it's unbelievable

5 songs you know all the words to
"I Am Not Alone" by Natalie Grant
"We Are the Reason" by Avalon
"So You Would Come" by Hillsongs
"Last Flight Out" by Plus One (I know, boy band, but the lyrics are incredible)
"The Nearness of You" by Norah Jones

5 things you would do if you had a million dollars
Take a sweet vacation
Pay off all my debt
Buy myself a killer, loaded red Mustang
Pay off Matt's house and sink most of the rest into remodeling it
Buy my Dad a new Harley Davidson Ford F-150

5 things you like doing
drinking coffee at Barnes & Noble and reading books/magazine with Matt
cooking
traveling
looking at fall leaves
decorating for Christmas!!

5 bad habits
Rarely flossing
I never wash my car.
Eating cereal before going to bed (me, too, Heather!!)
I can't throw anything away!
I never make my bed.

5 things you would never wear again
peasant blouse
leg warmers
neon
a French braid
According to "What Not to Wear," short women should not wear long skirts. So that may be out for me unless I find something I cannot resist.

5 favorite toys
My Dell DJ
my digital camera
my hot pink purse
eye shadow brushes
black boots

I guess I'm supposed to be tagging as well, so I tag:
Matt.
Amy.
T.

If you decide to participate, put your blog on the bottom of the list and bump #1 off the top. Have fun!

What to Wear

I have the hardest time deciding what to bring on vacations. This one is only a few days, so it doesn't seem like it should be that difficult. But I always feel the need to be prepared for any and every situation that may arise - what if it's colder than I thought? warmer? What if I want to dress up for something? dress down? Do I have the right shoe options for all these possible outfits? jewelry? purse? I mean, there are so many things to think about it's not even funny. And that doesn't even include pajamas, swimsuit, workout clothes (just IN CASE I want to work out - like there's so much time for that on vacation...but you never know). No matter - in 9 hours, I will be on the road, all my options exhausted and hopefully all of it fitting into one hot pink suitcase. I also have a cute black satin backpack for my carry-on - Target clearance for $4.48. That rules. Hopefully I can stay focused enough to get a few things done before I go home. Can't wait to tell you all about it.

Oh, by the way, if you like scary stuff you will have to drive by Matt's house when we get back. He made the scariest ghost that will be on display...it's freaky. You have to go after dark.

New York, New York!

I can't believe you are not all getting sick of pictures of me. But here's a picture of me and Matt from Saturday as promised...in THREE days Matt, Chris, and I are leaving for NY!! I just keep hearing "New York, New York, a wonderful town; the Bronx is up and the Battery's down; the people ride in a hole in the ground; New York, New York; what a wonderful town!" I'm not sure if that's exactly the order it goes in, but it's playing over and over in my head. It's from the movie "On the Town" - I own that on DVD. Great movie. Anyway, I am getting SOOOO excited for my first trip ever to the Big Apple! I have yet another opportunity to use the hot pink suitcase, thank you very much. I am putting the new Queen CD on my computer right now so I will hopefully be familiar with at least some of the stuff they'll be doing at the concert. I need to check the weather forecast for this weekend so I can pack appropriately as well. In case you're wondering, New York City has been my dream trip for a few years now, so I am getting excited like you would not believe...well, maybe you would. I'll have SO many pictures next week!!! AAAAHHHH!!!

Another Wedding

We went to yet another wedding yesterday, that of Pam and Jack. I wasn't too opposed since I was able to wear a dress my sister bought probably 5 years ago when the Ann Taylor Outlet in Branson closed and she had yet to wear it. It was a cute little burgundy dress with some beads on it, but it was too cold to wear without a sweater (it is spaghetti-strapped). Anyway, Matt was all fine in his groomsman's tux, so after the 11:00 a.m. wedding and reception (with great soup and pie, by the way), we went to Cedar Falls with Maggie and Jason to see a movie. Yes, in all our wedding finery. Well, not "our wedding" finery...wedding finery period. That didn't come out quite right. Then we read at Barnes and Noble for a little while - I'm very interested in finishing the book I started, 9 Things You Must Do (to Succeed in Love and Life) by Dr. Henry Cloud. He's a great author, so I will try to pick that one up soon. And we topped it off with dinner at Bourbon Street. Such a great place - I've yet to eat something there that I didn't absolutely love. I like dress up days. Thanks for the fun day, dear! (I have a picture or two, but the batteries on my camera are dead, so I'll try to post on Tuesday or something.)

The Wedding Pictures That Never End

Here is a picture of our family from the wedding. Now I think all my immediate family members have made it onto my blog. Yeah! Today I am thinking about one of my favorite verses, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path" (Proverbs 3:5-6). I was contemplating the "lean not on your own understanding" part. I think I forget that a lot - my own understanding is not very clear, and when I make decisions based on it, they tend not to be the best decisions. I guess it's mostly a reminder to myself to listen to God and find out His understanding on my life and the situations I encounter. He can see much more clearly and will help me to know what to do and say.

The Fall!

Heather waxed so poetic a few weeks ago about autumn, so I will not attempt to top that. I simply want to add that I LOVE FALL!! It helps that I have pulled out the Christmas music and am enjoying every moment of it. I also love to wear sweaters, and I donned a hot pink one for today. There is nothing better than Panera soup on a cool fall day - I hope I can get down to Cedar Falls this week to enjoy it. The leaves are beginning to change, and it just gives me warm fuzzies to see the changing of the seasons! My current plan is to light every candle in my house when I get home and clean up while I listen to Christmas music. YES!! I can't wait. Oh, and the picture has nothing to do with my topic - I just wanted to have a picture of my Daddy on my blog. I love you, Daddy! :-) I'll have to get Mom on here, too. I will find one from the wedding with you, too, Mama.

Wedding, Part Deux

I had to post one of the three "Joys." I realized that there are a lot of great pictures, and I can't wait to see the ones from the photographer. This one's off Beth's camera, so Matt must have taken it, and he's a great photographer. I think Central (Assembly of God, Springfield, MO) is a great place for a wedding. Nice landscaping, and the chapel is very pretty in its own right. The background with the stained glass window and the stones was beautiful, and the lit candles were a great touch. Hopefully I will have something to post so you can see the backdrop. It's also sentimental for me since I attended there for about 5 years. I have a lot of memories there, and I enjoyed being back.

By the way, I was just informed via telephone that Iowa is the number one state for illegal aliens from Central and South America. And you thought YOU got weird phone calls...try working at a church.

Wedding pictures

Okay, this was supposed to be a shot of Beth handing me the bouquet since she opted not to do the "toss" at the reception. But it doesn't look like it. As Michelle said, it looks like we're doing a cheer or something. It is more dignified than standing there, waiting to catch a bouquet of flowers as though your life depended on it. I believe I was the only single girl there, so that would have been mortifying to say the least. Thank you, Beth, for sparing me the humiliation. I'm tempted to post the picture of you and John in the bathtub...oh, wait, did I say that?

Back Home

I have nothing profound today, just the fact that I am home and the laundry is done. Last week was weird - I had a great time, but it just wasn't exactly what I expected in some ways. Anyway, it was so fun to spend time with Beth and Steph (and John and Jim), to help set up for the wedding (so much work that it's insane, and it wasn't even that elaborate - there must be a way to do a more simple wedding), to wear a pretty dress and take lots of pictures, and to see so many of my wonderful friends. I always get a little sad to leave them and wish I could live closer to them, but mostly I'm grateful that I have them in my life and that we maintain the closeness we do even with the distance that separates us. And I have great friends in Waverly, too - I am SO thankful that the days of driving home and bawling my eyes out the entire way are over. So, I will get back into the swing of things and hopefully feel like a normal person in a day or two, sentimentality pushed aside for the tasks at hand. I do know that I am incredibly excited about this week's upcoming fall weather, so I will focus on that. I finally got a few wedding pictures, so here's one of me and my brother at the wedding. I will post more in coming days.

My former hometown

I am visiting my former hometown, Springfield, MO, this week. I have had a great time visiting with old friends and seeing how much the city continues to grow. I really love Springfield, and I am enjoying my time here, although much of it has been consumed with stuff for Beth's wedding. I tried on my dress last night, and I think I'm going to wear my hair up. I wasn't sure with the strapless dress if I would like it, but I did, so I bought some hair clips and need to buy some jewelry before Saturday. It is fun to be here with all my family - we so rarely get time together, so I look forward to enjoying the time with them. I am ready for the weekend to be here, though - today was a long day, and I am ready to see everyone at the wedding. Well, I'm REALLY ready to see Matt, truth be told. :-) I hope you feel better SOON, dear!! I love you. Okay, I will stop now that you're all thoroughly disgusted and my brother wants to play some online game.

Chicken noodle soup and such

Since I am going to be gone all week, I have an excuse for writing twice in one day. And the only reason I'm writing is because I had to leave Matt today, and he was so sick that I felt horrible! I wanted to take care of him, but there's really nothing I could do other than making chicken noodle soup. I don't need to get sick when I have such a big week ahead of me, so it was probably best for me not to stick around, but I so badly wished I could stay and do something. It didn't help that it was a sad, rainy, dreary day as well. Well, if I can't do anything, at least I can write about it.

I remember my last trip to Springfield - 5 months ago almost to the day, and it is unbelievable to think of how many things have changed since then. I wonder what life will look like 5 months from now. I hope God has some big things to teach me this week because I sure feel like I'm missing a lot by being gone right now. Jenny and Michelle reassured me that they will not forget me this week...that was very sweet. I will miss ALL of you...but, Matt, I have to say I'll miss you the most. And I hope you get to read this because it should mean you are feeling better!

Rainy Days

On this rainy, dreary Sunday, I am reminded of one of my favorite verses: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26) I often feel that "my flesh and my heart" fail me, but this verse gives me hope that I don't always have to be strong - God will be strong for me if I let Him. I need to know that today, to know that He is who He says He is and that He has always been faithful. What a track record He has, and He leaves no room to doubt that He will come through for me once again and every time I need Him. So on a day when I feel as though my flesh and my heart are not very strong, I am clinging to the hope of God and His strength.