this week 1 year ago.

A year ago this week I was getting my nails painted, sleeping sprawled out in the middle of my bed, being extra mindful to moisturize, confirming flowers & cake, being with friends & family, going on a crazy hunt for a lost veil, trimming my hair, picking out the perfect shade of lipstick, getting my ring cleaned, enjoying the quiet moments with my fiance, practicing our first dance in the kitchen, and listening to this song in preparation for my walk down the aisle.

I will never forget actually hearing the song being played live as I stood on the other side of the door from my groom & our friends & family.

The doors opening at 0:44 was a moment etched in my mind forever.

It has been such a glorious year.

(a year! already!)

I really love marriage.

compromising.

Danny & I always thought we had the same taste in house decor.

Until this week.

We can't agree on anything!!!

For example, my ideal chair & rug:

In comparison to Dan's ideal chair & rug:

Danny says our guests will fall out of my chair and asked if I'd rather be "cute" or "functional".

(I say my chair is both cute and functional!)

I say his rug is way too traditional and stuffy and doesn't match the stuff we already have.

(He says his rug is classic & will never go out of style.)

It's going to be very interesting to see how we compromise on these things!!!

PS All items from, you guessed it, Target.

simple & sweet.

I have had a lot of really great days lately. With summer school out, life has been simple and sweet and I like it that way. But yesterday...yesterday might go on my top 5 days of 2010.

As an introvert, camp isn't really my forte. I have little alone time and absolutely no space to myself, what with living with five girls for a week whose luggage exploded all over our room. So yesterday I spent a lot of time alone and quiet and still. It was beautiful.

6:15 - wake up & say goodbye to D.

6:30 - get out of bed.

7:00 - Bible reading & prayer.

7:45 - egg & toast. (my new favorite breakfast of choice)

8:00 - blog.

8:15 - work out. (am I the only one who can't work out on an empty stomach?)

8:45 - take Den for a walk.

9:30 - shower & watch the last 15 minutes of 24 that I slept through last night.

10:45 - make D & I lunch.

11:00 - drive to D's work.

11:30 - spend lunch hour with my sweetie.

12:30 - shop for the second half of my very special big sister's birthday present.

1:30 - sit in a coffee shop & write my first youth ministry article.* (see picture above)

4:00 - meet D at the Sear's outlet to get an idea of how much a W&D cost.

6:00 - dinner. (I once bought chicken nuggets for this recipe. We didn't love it so after that I used them in our salads. Now we can't stop. mmm....)

8:00 - D's basketball game.

10:30 - sleep.

Life is really good. I mean, really good.

* God opened up a really amazing opportunity- I will be writing for a youth ministry magazine four times a year. Can you believe it? Me!? A writer!? I signed a contract and everything! Omg. Someone pinch me.

home sweet home.

Well hello!

I am back.

(& so glad to be.)

I had a great time with my students (& lots of other peoples' students), but I really missed my husband and dog.  Everything wasn't quite the same without him, but God moved mightily and it was great to be a part of it.  Thanks for all your prayers and such- they were heard and answered.

Anyhow, it's nice to be at home on a Monday morning.  Den is cuddled next to me, all the windows of the house are open allowing a breeze/morning air to flow through, I am still wearing pajamas, and Pandora is up and running.  Ah...

In other news, we found out this weekend that we got the house!  In 5 weeks we'll be moving in.  This means that the next 5 weeks will be spent picking out paint, packing up our townhouse, shopping for great prices on the things we will need, planning a really charming housewarming party, and dreaming about our little blue house with the red door!  

Thanks for all your support- we are really blessed people.

8 days.

I took this picture last night with my phone.

Danny cut his hair last night...shorter than it's been for years.

I think he's hot.

(in both sense of the word)

Tomorrow at 3:30am I leave for LAX with 1 intern and 8 students.

I am really excited!

But very sad to be leaving my husband for 8 days.

Really, I just love this man.

I get weepy at the thought of how great our love is for each other.

I can't get enough of him.

I really am so very blessed.

So, dear friends, I will be absent for the next week.

If you think of my team, send up a prayer or twenty.

A little guest blogger will be stopping by so stay tuned.

And before I go, a little poem I posted years ago.

Before I met the man who would help me understand it.

Ah, love...

Sonnet 17

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.I love you as the plant that never blooms, but carries itself in the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Pablo Neruda

zucchini & red onion.

It's hot.

Really hot.

And I've been trying to make some nice light meals that don't require a lot of time in front of the stove...

This meal did the trick.

Salad, fresh strawberries, and zucchini red onion flatbread.  Here it comes...

(from Bon Appetite)

Ingredients:

1 zucchini

1 small red onion

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough

3/4 cream cheese

3/4 parmesan

seasonings to taste (dill, italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, etc.)

olive oil

Mix your cream cheese with the herbs.

(stop here and you've got a great & simple cracker spread!)

Heat your oven to 400.

Spread your dough out onto a pan.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough.

Sprinkle the parm all over.

Slice the red onion and zucchini.

Spread out over dough.

Brush veggies with olive oil.

Bake for 20ish minutes.

Slice & savor each delicious bite...

PS Still no word on the little blue house.

wah-wah.

I kill plants.

Succulents are the only things I can keep alive. 

(probably because I don't have to do anything for them.)

Help me.

the little blue house- p & c.

Pros:

-hard wood floors

-a really big & wonderful living/dining room

-bay window in master bedroom

-huge front & backyard

-picnic table in the backyard

-front porch

-detached 2-car garage with shelves

-built in hutch

-lots of windows for natural light and afternoon breezes

-gardner included

-crystal doorknobs (!)

-new vanity/medicine cabinets

Cons:

-need to paint the kitchen & spare bedroom

(think 2 shades of lime green and bright teal)

-need to buy a washer & dryer & some sort of island/cart & oven/stove

(there is a really cool one from the 1920's but the door fell off twice during our walk through)

-also need to eventually buy area rugs, lamps, a bench for our dining table, armchair...

-the kitchen cabinets

(need a lot of love)

-tiny closets

-not a lot of storage space

So, that's all for the little blue house with the red door.

I have a lot of dreams for this home.

We'll know within a week. (hopefully!)

Am finding great peace in what my new friend Nina said...He determines our times and the exact places where we live! Am resting in that for the week.

tidbits.

Ministry....

-I leave in 5 days for Michigan where I will SERVE for a week with 8 students and my summer intern.  

-This is my first time flying with a group of students.  

-Am trying to fit all my stuff in one bag so I can carry on and avoid the $50 checking-in fee (BOO!).  So far, so good.

-All-nighter was a success.  It went by fast...cosmic golf, cosmic bowling, late night (early morning?) swim party, sardines, mafia, pancakes, ultimate frisbee...before we knew it it was time to go home.

-The hardest part is being the leader who has to stay pumped all night so the students don't get sleepy.  I seemed to have fooled them- it was a total act.  

-I slept for 11 hours the next night.  Made a full recovery.

-Am taking students to 6 flags this Wednesday.  Husband has the day off to help.  Huzzah!

School...

-Finished my last 2 assignments for class.

-Last. Summer. School. Class. EVER!

-No more seminary talk until September 7.

Home...

-Lots of unused nectarines have fallen to the ground.  Must pick up.

-Dinners for this week include homemade flat bread & salad, spaghetti & turkey meatballs, BLT's & strawberries, chicken tacos & rice & beans, and In N Out to top off our day of roller coasting.

-Things at the little blue house yesterday went well.  Definite pros and cons.  That's first up for my next post.  All in all, we still love love love it and would be so blessed to live there.

-With the potential move, I've been going crazy cleaning and organizing and throwing away. (Notice the left column...craft area is clean and orderly!)

-Haven't worn mascara in nearly a week.  Boy, does a good eye rub feel good.

Husband...

-I am crazy in love.  That's all.

Jesus...

-Have been learning a lot about patience.  Need to learn more and more.

-My spiritual life was really effected by that 2-week intensive.  Am happy to say I am out of that funk.

-I find great peace in knowing that the little blue house is totally out of our hands and only in His.  (We should know within a week and so should you...)

-Prayed this for you (yes, you) this morning:

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better" (Ephesians 1:17)

friday & the little blue house.

Hi.

Did you know today is Friday?

My, how it's sneaked up on us all.  I guess that's what 3-day weekends will do to you.

This weekend is going to be a good one.

Tonight...

I have our first all-nighter of the year.

14 straight hours with high school students?

Yes please.

(I think.)

Tomorrow...

sleep.  & grocery shopping.  & sleep.

Sunday...

church.  & a look inside the little blue house.

Okay, about this house...

From what we know now, it's perfect.

3 bedrooms, 1 bath.

a long driveway.

a 2 car garage.

a bay window.

right in our price range.

a good backyard for Den & dinner parties.

in the neighborhood where we want to buy one day.

a big, shady tree that covers the front yard.

made in the 1920's with tons of charm.

updated electric and plumbing.

I can't help it.

I've been dreaming about it. (so has Dan.)

I see myself stringing lights in the backyard.

all the dinner parties on picnic tables.

laying with my babies on a blanket in the front yard.

walking on the original redwood floors.

walking down the historic tree-lined streets.

I try not to get too ahead of myself, but that seems to be my middle name.

(Kaylyn I'm-too-ahead-of-myself)

Ah, but we will see.

So if you think about it at 2pm on Sunday afternoon, say a little prayer for the Unterkofler's and the little blue house.

Be back Monday!

Happy weekend.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

cobbler.

In our house, cobbler is sort of a big deal. It was the first dessert I made for D when we were dating and I like to think it's what sealed the deal.

Last year we got just a few nectarines (?) on our tree, but this year we have too many to eat! So, naturally, I made a cobbler.

I've tried a handful of recipes, but nothing compares to this one. Simple, few ingredients, and perfect every time.

-1 1/2 C sugar

-1 1/2 C flour

-1 1/2 sticks butter

-3-4 cups fruit (I used about 10 nectarines and some blueberries)

-a pinch of cinnamon

Pour the fruit into a 9x9 baking dish.

If the fruit is tart, add a little more sugar on top of it.

Melt the butter and mix the remaining ingredients together.

Dough should be a bit crumbly but should clump together with a little squeeze.

Flatten the dough out in the palm of your hand and layer over the fruit.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Mmm.

PS It tastes even better for breakfast.

3 days.

Why, hello there.

Wasn't the 3-day weekend just delightful?

This is what our's consisted of:

2 birthday bbq & pool parties

1 baby snuggled up to me for 3 hours

15 nectarines (we think?) picked

2 3 pieces of cobbler eaten

100 miles to see my parents

1 basketball game

2 house-shopping adventures

15 streets we weaved our way through

1 trip to the grocery store

4 calls made on 4 houses

1 house we absolutely fell in love with (we're seeing the inside Sunday @ 2)

4 loads of laundry

2 redbox rentals

3 episodes of 24 (still on season 2)

2 mornings of sleeping in

8 students we hung out with

7 friends we got to visit with (all unplanned- wonderful)

7 frisbees caught in the air

1 really good pup who didn't bark at the fireworks

1 garage sale

$391.87 collected for our service trip

0 books read

0 papers written

0 classes attended

Ah, bliss...we should do 3-day weekends more often.

PS I'm back.  Tomorrow, let's talk cobbler.