Almost Thanksgiving!

I got a new cookbook in the mail recently. I'm super excited about it. It's annual recipes from Southern Living 2012. Hopefully my new years resolution will be to make every recipe in that cookbook for next year!

Everyone knows I'm a big eater. I love to eat. It's not so much that I like eating, it's that I love food. Weird, I know! But food has got to be the best thing on this earth. The warmness of the oven when it is baking bread or a cake, the lovely smell of spices wafting through the air, and the sweet scent of sugar carmalizing.

Mom is a cook. She enjoys the smiles on our faces when she dishes something sweet, warm, and mouthwatering. Over time I've learned to pay attention to her meals. To smell and watch and ask questions. I can't take those delicious recipes for granted! The most honoring part of making a meal is that mom looks forward to it. My mother, who is the cook of the family, looks forward to MY cooking. I like making her proud with trying out new and different recipes. I think part of me doesn't want to make a recipe she is good at and maybe take the chance that it somehow could be better than hers. I would hate to outdo my mother on one of her recipes. That's why I try new ones. If she likes it and decides to make it, I can always count on her perfecting it. Which is great for me because I can learn from it.

This year will be the first year that I contribute to Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not making the turkey or the ham because I know for certain that I cannot even compete or compare to mother's meats. I'll be making all the sides and desserts. Mother is excited. I just hope I don't disappoint.

I love my family. I am thankful for my mother's hands and talents to always keep us well fed. Feeding us is always a pleasure for her. Even when we don't show our appreciation for her as our mother, she can always count on our unsaid appreciation when we eat her food.

22 Before 23

I haven't updated my blog in seriously a long time. But I thought it would be cool to share a cute little project I worked on that didn't need any thing more than a pen, paper, and some goals/dreams!

It's called 22 Before 23.

Last year I made a list called, 21 Before 22, and had 21 goals or aspirations, little things that I would like to have accomplished before I turned 22. I only completed about 4 things off last years list but it's okay. At least I was able to sit there and visualize the things I wanted to do for a long time, or things that I keep procrastinating on. 

I'm early but I just finalized my 22 Before 23 list. I would suggest you try it. You may not complete all your goals, but you'd be happy to see what the next year can bring. I'm already happy as can be! :)

Breathing Time

I haven't updated in a long while. Things were a bit hectic but now that I have breathing time, I can think...and breathe. Oh, the irony! Well since I've last been on, I've been through a wedding, driving to Naples, taking finals, working hard, and somehow, someway, getting sleep between it all.

1. Wedding!
Wedding was wonderful. Being the Maid of Honor was super stressful and I probably wouldn't have made it without Andrew, Elizabeth, and a few other people helping me out. Elise looked absolutely beautiful in her dress. It was just marvelous. Her sister-in-law handmade it and it came out wonderful! 

Elise walking with her dad down the aisle. 

After the nice Latin/English wedding, we took pictures afterwards and rushed to the reception hall where we had the traditional first dance, father/daughter dance, cut cake, bouquet toss (which of course I caught) and they drove off! Patrick sang one of Elise's favorite songs to her on the guitar which was super sweet and adorable. It was just a stressful couple of days because of that but I'm happy it's over.

 They are now enjoying their wonderful honeymoon in the lovely North Carolina mountains! I'm still waiting for some pictures from the photographer but I guess we have to wait a while for those things.

2. Naples!
For Elise's wedding, I picked up my friend, Brendan from Ave Maria so that he could play the violin. On Thursday, the 26th, I drove down with Andrew to Ave and drove back. On Sunday, the 29th, Andrew, Josee and I drove down there again to drop him off. It takes 3 hours one way and 3 hours back. So we were all exhausted to say the least.

3. Finals!
I had two of my most important finals on Tuesday morning. I did ehhhh, on them. I graduate with my AA in Liberal Arts on Friday. It's most exciting! Only because I'll be half way done and take the classes that I want to take eventually. I'm just tired of studying for now.

4. Work!
I've been doing doubles all last month and a little bit of this month. I'm just tired, and my feet hurt from standing all those hours. With school ending soon, it shouldn't be that bad. I just want life to calm down for a moment so I can get my feet back on the ground without my head being in the clouds.

5. Sleep!
Whoa! That's such a foreign word to me! But it sounds SO amazing. Yes, I've been getting good night sleep's but it just doesn't feel like enough throughout the day. I probably need to eat healthier and work out. Maybe I'll have more natural energy. I don't want to fall back on coffee every morning. That's an addiction that I'd rather stay clear of. I just need something to keep me going and still feel like I can manage without taking a nap. I get so tired by noon time that I just want to sleeeeeep.

Anyway, just for fun; here's a picture of Andrew and I at the wedding. I think this is the only picture of us that was taken and so I am very pleased. Plus, he looks extremely handsome in a tux, don't cha think?

Good Friday

Today has been spent in meditation and…painting my room! Yes, it's something I've been wanting to do for a while; but it is physical labor, my arms are tired, and I thought it would be good to do it today. 

This is the color of it now (until we come back from church).

  It's a coral and mint color. It's still in progress but we're getting read to go to church soon but I thought to give an update.

This is my lovely checkboard wall. I still like it and won't get rid of it.

We still have yet to paint the rest of the walls. 

The rest of the walls are going to be a coral color. The mint is just my accent. I bought some spray paint because I'm going to do a project with my desk. It was painted white from its previous owner. I got it at an antique store in town but that will also give some mint accents around the room. 

Also, I'm going to give Lucy a bath tomorrow because we're taking pictures with her for Easter. I thought that would be so cute; taking pictures with a bunny. Wonderfully cliche thing to do!

And one other thing, I received the book I was waiting the longest for. It is uh-maze-ing! After the first chapter, I was so inspired that I cleaned the bathroom and picked up my room. Maybe that's why I actually went along and bought the paint…

Anyway, have a holy Good Friday and if I don't update before then, a WONDERFUL Easter. 

Palm Sunday/April Fool's!

What a wonderful Palm Sunday! Unfortunately, I had to work and not be able to spend it in the sun. I got my pranks in at work though by telling people class was cancelled. 

I wish it wasn't so late and I could lie out in the beach all day. Definitely want a beach date with my boy. 

I'm planning a going away party for Judy. I think I mentioned this, and it's black and white themed. I've bought a good number of stuff for it already. I'm excited!

We have a quote of the day board at work…and I've been the one dubbed to change it. I've been changing the quote every couple of weeks from 3 sheets of papers with quotes on them that they supply me with. Today, I thought to change it up and pick a quote that wasn't on a sheet. Plant City YMCA's, and my quote of the day:

"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." -Mark Twain.

Quote of the Day

"Fairytales are more than true; not because they tell us dragons exist; but because it tells us that dragons can be beaten." - GK Chesterton

Home

As you know, mom has been gone for the whole week. She's finally coming home tonight! I know it's super early but I had to finish writing a paper that's due today and I'm on a writing rampage so I thought, what the heck! I'll write a blogpost too.

I have a friend, Josee (Not, Jose. Josee. And not Josie. The first "e" has a little accent mark) who I took shopping with me yesterday. It was so much fun with so many giggles. I bought my Easter dress and it's soooo cute! Josee, Andrew, Elizabeth, and Josee's brother, Joey, and I went swing dancing in Tampa laaast Sunday. It was so much fun. Then Joey went off and decided to join the Navy and shipped off to bootcamp on Wednesday. Byyye, Joey. :(

I still have not posted a picture of my sweet little Lucy. I should take a picture of her soon. I want you all to see her.

Anyway, I'm getting tired again and have to get up soon for work. There's my little update!

Movies and Books

Today, Andrew and I are going to see The Lorax and John Carter. We're going to the drive-in! The best part about the drive-in is the old commercials they play when they are telling you to go get snacks at the concession.

I ordered a book on Amazon last night. It's called: Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping: Timeless Wisdom and Practical Advice. The book description says: "Mrs. Dunwoody is a character based off of the author's great grandmother and other traditional Southern woman who believe in the importance of making a house a home." I saw it being read by a girl in another blog and thought, "Oh, my! I  H A V E to get this book!" There's timeless classics in this book. It goes from the way to choosing a spouse, proper etiquette, throwing parties, cooking and cleaning. It's pretty much a how-to guide on keeping your house a home. It will be perfect for me for when I get married. Good thing to start now, eh?

Andrew and I started last night reading the bible together. We're doing the bible in a year thing. We started yesterday so we're a little backed up, but hopefully by the end of the year we'll be caught up. We read 2 Kings 1-4. It was kinda funny in a disturbing kind of way.

Mom has been gone since Monday. She's in Birmingham, Alabama with my godsister, Judy. Judith is hopefully going to be accepted into the Poor Clares (specifically Mother Angelica's order). I've been babysitting all 4 of the kids all week. It's been an interesting week of playing the role of mother. Never thought I'd see me doing that until my own kids but it's okay.

OH! I bought a bunny. Her name is Lucy. She's the sweetest thing and loves you to hold her. I will be posting a picture soon!

Anyway, must eat some breakfast!

Spring and Music

I'm sitting here at Starbucks, listening to The Civil Wars, and blog-surfing. It's cooooommmmiiiiing! Spring is coming! It's such an absolutely beautiful day in Tampa, Florida. The right mix of warmth and cool breeze. If it continues like this, spring might become my favorite season. I am so excited.

So I've read the Hunger Games trilogy just last month and I am highly anticipating this movie…and also hearing Taylor Swift's new song, Eyes Open.

Tonight, Andrew and I are going to see Jimmy Needham in concert. Cheap tickets but long-awaited St. Valentine's Day present for him. Jimmy is a Christian artist who sings Bluesy/R&B music. He sings this awesome cute little song. He'll also be with one of Andrew's favorite Christian rappers, Trip Lee. I don't know any of his music but that's okay. It's making my Andrew happy and that's what matters, right?

Bridal Shower Weekend

I've been incredibly busy and haven't had much time to update at all. This weekend, Elizabeth (Andrew's sister) and I threw a bridal shower for Elise! After 4 months of planning we finally pulled it off. It was beautiful and everyone thought we did such a great job. I wish I had pictures to show you but once people post some on Facebook, I'll be stealing them and posting them on here.

Elizabeth and I stayed up till 4am on Saturday while the bridal shower was going to take place at 1pm on Sunday. With the time change, it kind of screwed us up a little because we lost an hour of sleep. We're now very happy that it's over with!

I've also been sick all week. My stomach has been giving me problems but I've been fine since yesterday. I should be going to the doctor tomorrow so hopefully everything will be fine.

Anyway, that's all the time I have right now. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon!

Sick, bleh!

All day yesterday and today, I've been sick Throwing up all day is gross. I apologize for the visual. I would have gotten to work 9 hours yesterday and I feel terrible for not going into work. Allll that money, haha. Anywho, I better get back to resting up. I'm still tired and a little bit hungry.

Late St. Valentine's Day - Worth Every Moment

St. Valentine's Day came and went like any other. My school then work schedule and Andrew's work then school schedule didn't allow us to have a sufficient amount of time with each other. We didn't even think we would see each other so we decided to plan something special for each other that following Saturday. It turns out that we did get to see each other for almost two hours on St. Valentine's Day. We met up at the mall and he gave me the oh, so cliché present: roses.

They don't look so pretty here because of the flash on my phone. They

were gorgeous in actuality.

I absolutely adored them.

Yes, he bought me two roses. Reasons why: 1. The number two is my favorite number, 2. It was both St. Valentine's Day and our half a year anniversary, and 3. For he and I.

Cue the "awwww"ness.

We concluded that evening with 45 minutes reading gluten free cookbooks at Barnes & Noble and me singing and goofing along to the other oh, so cliché (and my personal favorite), Frank Sinatra. Andrew and I went to Starbucks and ordered some drinks, took some pictures, and watched some funny videos on his laptop. It was a simple night yet so satisfying just to be with him.

Saturday, the 18th, was a blast. It almost felt like I've met him for the first time and we were going on a first date. It was wonderful and I hope to never lose the butterfly in my stomach feeling. I had planned this elaborate day for us but didn't get to follow through with one of the plans I made. Andrew lives with his 2 twin brothers (bachelor pad, ftw!) and they recently had a roommate move out. Andrew got to inherit that room so while he was off buying a new bookcase, I was "supposed" to be getting lunch ready. I was actually finishing and buying some last minute things - but I'm off topic.

One of the presents I made him. Paint on canvas. And he hung it up on his wall! :D

While he was out I made for lunch, clam spaghetti with cucumber and tomato salad, strawberry and banana smoothies, and chocolate chip cookies I made the night before. I'm gluten and dairy (the dairy is somewhat) intolerant so for having to rush the cooking, I thought it tasted pretty good, and Andrew didn't die or choke or gag so I'm taking that as a good sign that he at least enjoyed it. The best part is that I packed up the lunch and drinks, stuffed Andrew in the car and drove to his favorite park for a picnic. I brought all the presents I made or bought for him, and I was pleased with how the day progressed.

Yummy lunch!!

After the picnic we went back to his house and I helped him build his bookcase and entertainment center and help move books into his new room. He gave me a wonderful present. It is a purple mantilla. For those of you who have no idea what that is, you can view it here. Just purple and MUCH prettier than the one shown in the picture. It's worn during the Traditional Latin Mass.

Just one of my stud muffin opening a card I made him. :)

Later on in the day before dinner, I helped make a collage of pictures on his wall while he made me dinner. It was a delicious gluten and dairy free chicken alfredo. He doesn't think I liked it much but I did. He's an amazing cook for having to deal with my relatively new diet. He also made dairy free chocolate mousse which was heavenly because he cut up the strawberries and made it oh, so pretty. Little did I know that the best part was yet to come.

My best friend's DELICIOUS chocolate mousse!

I'm the maid of honor for one of my best friend's, Elise's, wedding. She and her fiancé, Patrick, had come over sometime after dinner while I was giving Andrew one of his last presents that I made. Apparently, Patrick and Andrew have been working on writing a song for us. They took us outside, recorded the whole thing (although it is sad because you can't see us, and we were completely balling) and they sat across from us and sang such a sweet and beautiful song. I absolutely love Andrew's voice and I thought he never believed me. Maybe he still doesn't but he believed me enough to know that I would love this song and listen to it every night before I go to bed. (Probably not the me listening to it every night part but still...)

Mhmm! Favorite song!

Their voices blend so nicely together. They are great guys and I can't wait to one day have that first dance with my best friend. Overall, my St. Valentine's Day and my post-Valentine's Day were awesome. It was such a blessed time spent with loving people and I couldn't have asked for anything or anyone better!

I've also included the video of them singing it to us for the first time! Enjoy!

Love is a Loving Verb

I guess I know how much Andrew really loves me. It's really easy to love me when I'm a happy-go-lucky, smiling, in a great mood kind of person. But I know it totally stinks and it hurts to love someone when they don't act like they love you back. I know I don't talk much about it to anyone but Andrew was really made for me. Sure, we argue. We argue about both dumb things and important things. But Andrew has never failed to love me through it all.