haircuts and hangovers.

Today I have a youth ministry hang over.

Not even kidding.

Advil is in order.

(our end of the year party was last night and we had this bungee run thing that only by God's grace no one broke their neck on!)

Anyway, I am sporting a hat today.

To cover the mess of hair underneath it.

But this cute girl makes me want to chop it all off.

These 2 are so talented...take some time listening to them today.

It will make you smile and want to chop your hair.

Oh, and this cover is just incredible...

*PS...No alcohol was involved last night. Just 80 crazy students that I just so happen to adore.

the lion king.

Cookie jar from Anthro =  $98.00.

Cookie jar from Anthro with a missing lid = $9.95.

New coin jar?

Yes please.

(and thank you!)

lucky me.

Friday at 4:15 my doorbell rang.

It was my husband.

He was holding these flowers.

He smiled and said, "Will you go on a date with me?"

I am such a lucky woman.

(I said yes.)

i interrupt this Saturday morning to tell you..

I bake bread!

I've been told about this recipe from two different friends, and it was time.

Oh, was it time...

Beer Batter Bread

-1 bottle (12 0z.) beer

-3 cups flour

-2 T brown sugar

-1 T baking powder

-1 t salt

-4 T butter

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease your favorite loaf pan.

Stir flour, sugar, powder, and salt.

Then, add beer.

(Foam is good.)

Pour lumpy batter into pan.

Drizzle with 4 T melted butter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Slice, top with jelly or whatever suits your fancy.

Enjoy!

holiday. part 2.

After our morning beach trip and walk around Carpinteria, we showered, packed up, and drove four hours north to Santa Cruz.

Denver was such a great little traveler.  He pretty much stuck his head between Danny and I and enjoyed the ride.

We were so excited to get to Santa Cruz, where some of our best friends live.

These are them:

(This girl Erica, oh I love her.  Throughout high school she sat with me over coffee and muffins before school started, read books with me, taught me what it meant to love Jesus, cried with me, let me borrow her clothes, and, and, and, and.  She has modeled to me what it means to be a student, wife, youth minister, and now mother.  And because of these things she is on my top-5-life-influencers list.  And quite honestly, I can't ever imagine life without her.)

The rest of the weekend was spent holding that beautiful baby girl, sipping on Verve, watching the pups play, saying "no!" "sit!" and "leave it!", eating great food, laughing, and having some great conversation.

 And then we had to leave.  Boo.

(Thank goodness for Shocktarts, Starbucks Double Shots, and Trader Joe's white cheddar popcorn to make the ride a little easier.)

surprise holiday. part 1.

Last last weekend I surprised Danny with a birthday holiday.  

He had absolutely no idea- I had a lot of people in on the surprise to help me fool him!

His reaction to the surprise was priceless.

Definitely on the top-10-best-memories-ever list.

So we drove up the coast on Friday evening which was one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken.  We laughed and sang songs and played games and talked about what our future will be like (one of my favorite topics as of late!).  We spent the night (Denver too!) in Carpinteria, which is a town right outside of Santa Barbara.

We went to dinner at a really sweet cafe- don't you love finding little restaurants in foreign cities?!  We ordered a burger and fries and a salad and swapped back and forth.  Ha.  Classic.  (we may or may not have done this for Saturday night's dinner, too!)

We slept in Saturday morning, had breakfast, and then walked to the beach.  It was Denver's first time and he loved it.  We did, too...it couldn't have been a more perfect day.

i love my guys.

better-than-pizza-stromboli.

oh.my.gosh.

please try this.

I promise, your monthly menu will never be the same.

better-than-pizza-stromboli.

1 pizza dough

mozzarella

seasonings

butter

your choice of stuffings

-prep the dough as instructed.  I let mine rest and rise on a floured cutting board before flattening it out to about 14x9. (or whatever.)

-take a little spoonful of butter and spread it over the middle.

-sprinkle with a little bit of moz.

-add your stuffings to the middle of the dough.  you can add italian sausage or mushrooms olives (ew.) or sauteed onions or salami or pepperoni.  (salami and pepperoni freak me out for some reason so I went with the sausage.)

-top with more moz.  this time, a good handful.

-cut 2 inch strips on each side of the goods.

-braid them over one another, creating a pretty (or not so pretty) little design.

-bake dough as directed.  for me, it was 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

-slice and serve with a little salad and a side of marinara for dipping.

-and never be the same.

sorry, folks.  no time for pictures.  was too busy eating my share.

menu.

on the dinner menu this week:

stromboli

(recipe on its way)

cobb salad with the works

(avocado, egg, cheese, green onions, feta, chicken, tomatoes)

breaded pork with asparagus and homemade mac & cheese

(Danny's choice for family birthday dinner)

on the blog menu this week:

a surprise birthday holiday last weekend

our greatest friends

stromboli recipes

thrift shop finds

27.

Today, the love of my life turns 27.

I can't say it enough, I absolutely adore this man.  Here's a few (okay, 27) reasons why.

Husband...

-my day always gets better when you walk through the front door after work.

-you put me first. always, always.

-you call me things like beautiful, darling, and baby doll.

-your eyes are piercing blue.

-your beard, let's face it, is pretty awesome.

-you are the most humble man I have ever met.

-you take care of our cars.

-you like to go grocery shopping with me.

-you are such an amazing uncle.

-you're going to be such an amazing father to our children.

-you always say "I love you" before you get off the phone...no matter who you're talking to.

-you read and edit all of my papers.

-you always say yes to orange chicken.

-you know when to be quiet and when to not.

-you're always up for ordering a burger + fries + a salad at a restaurant, and swapping back and forth.

-you go through a carton of apple juice weekly.

-you model spiritual discipline daily.

-you are really, really, really great with babies.

-you get tears in your eyes when you tell me just how much you love me.

-you aren't daunted by a 1200 page novel.

-you braid my hair.

-you can fake a really great English accent.

-you believe in me, encourage me, and spur me on.

-you are so intentional in how you love me and speak to me.

-you are such a rocking guitar player.

-you knew I would be your wife the first time you ever saw me. (and there is evidence in your journal.)

-you are my best friend.

Daniel, I am so glad you are mine.

Happy birthday.

Hi there, it's me.

I am still alive, in case you were wondering.  Just struggling to find balance in my new summer school schedule! 

Anyway, this weekend Danny is on a men's retreat and so I took little D with me to my parents' house.  We have a wonderful weekend planned- thrifting, target-ing, walking, talking, eating in, dining out, baking...see?  I told you.

One other thing that I should add to that list is tv-watching.  D and I don't have any television channels at home, so it's always a luxury to have access to TLC and HGTV and FoodTV and allllllll the channels and networks I can ask for!  What a treat.

So, I've been here for just over 12 hours and we've watched only about an hour of television.  But within that hour, I've seen the most wonderful commercials!  So here you go, a little media fix for your Friday.  (I can't find my 3rd favorite for the LG washing machine...)

(Make sure you pause it at : 0:34 and laugh.)

be back soon.

I am currently...

scratching two mega bug bites. (one an inch wide.)

sulking over this summer school class. (I don't want to talk about it.)

re-living our road trip from this weekend. (coming soon.)

praying for patience. (about everything.)

homeworking. (like, a lot.)

in the market for 2 new lamps. (not sure what kind.)

scheming dinner tonight. (homemade orange chicken.)

checking for my spring grades every few hours. (useless.)

searching for my lost hair brush. (hair has not been brushed for 2 days now.)

sneezing and sniffling. (just a little).

awaiting this weekend. (time with my family).

loving my husband. (a lot.)

wishing my friends E & C & E lived closer. (& M too.)

wondering when I'll have time to upload photos. (soon, I hope.)

dreaming about summer. (my home is, too.  it needs a deep clean.)

wanting to be in bed. (& to get a good sleep.)

on the verge of school burnout. (majorly.)

be back soon.

today am feeling...

grateful.

the end.

kingdom of God.

I am sitting here with an eighteen page study guide in front of me.  And all I can think about is how bad I want a lemon cupcake, how I'd like to please live in my boyfriend jeans forever, how I am so excited for this weekend to come, and how glad I am that big D is upstairs bathing little D.  And then I read this...

3.  What was the Jewish understanding of the concept of the "kingdom of God", and how did Jesus conceive of it as both a present reality and a future manifestation?

Two ideas about God's kingdom existed side by side in Judaism: 1) God's ever-present reign as king over all the earth. It has no boundaries. It is universal and eternal. It is not so much a realm as a reign. It is his sovereign dominion over all things. 2) Though God is now king, there will be a day when he will establish his kingdom on earth. The universal and future reigns of God are both present within the Jewish understanding.

Jesus' preaching acknowledged both senses of the kingdom of God. In the present, God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:26-30). People are to "seek first his kingdom" by submitting to his sovereign authority (Matt. 6:33). Jesus prayed for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Yet Jesus also taught that the kingdom of God was a future state believers would one day enter (Mk. 9:47; Matt. 7:21; 25:34). He referred to a time when his disciples would know that the kingdom was near. The coming of the kingdom would mean the judgment of the wicked, the establishment of a redeemed community founded on righteousness and justice, and perfect fellowship with God at the messianic banquet. God's instrument and establishment of the future kingdom is the Son of Man, who will return and gather God's chosen people from the ends of the earth. What was radically unique about Jesus' teaching was his claim that this end-times kingdom of God was even now arriving through his own words and actions-people receive it and enter it in the present-"the kingdom of God is at hand." The kingdom is both already and not yet. In the present, people are called to submit to God's authority and so "enter" his kingdom-they become heirs of the kingdom. Yet while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom at his first coming, he will consummate it at his return.

And I am as good as new.

this weekend.

This weekend...

was the start D's birthday month

I wrote a never-ending paper

Denver slept outside of his crate at night (successfully)

I started studying

D did yard work in our 8x8 foot backyard

we napped

we worked out

D washed both cars

I celebrated a momma with twins on the way

we groceried (did not total at $45)

we Target-ed (I was pleasantly surprised at the $22 total...anyone else more often than not mysteriously check out at $70?)

I made an apple pie at 6:30 in the morning

we got Chinese & hooked up Netflix on the Wii

we listened to lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan

Here's to a week full of studying, pilates, and coffee!