Best Husband Ever

This is an older picture of us, but I'm feeling nostalgic, and it's still one of my favorites.

I'm temporarily breaking my blogging hiatus to brag on my husband. He wakes up early, works hard, and is so good at his job. October is the month when orchestra wives become "orchestra widows" according to another director friend because there is an audition or recording session almost every Saturday.

In spite of the craziness at work, (which he takes in stride because he loves his job) he got up early this morning to surprise me with my current favorite drink from Starbuck's. He also made secret plans to celebrate this weekend and he's been teasing me by singing a little made-up tune about how "There are plans for your birthday" for a couple weeks. He knows the anticipation of an event is one of the best parts, (in my opinion) so he took care to let me know that plans are in place even though he wants to surprise me.

Well, first surprise accomplished. Starbuck's sets apart a day as special, and having it delivered while I was still dozing marked this day as fantastic. (Side note: Starbuck's has never been part of my daily routine, but my Dad delivered whatever my current drink of choice was on every birthday in high school. Then I continued the tradition by refusing to brew my own coffee on my birthday in college, and the sweet Starbuck's memories extend to my wedding day when I downed a grande cinnamon dolce latte while having my hair done. See, fancy coffee makes me nostalgic.)

The small gesture (not so small, since it involved sacrificing sleep) also reminded me what a thoughtful and loving man I married. And now you know, too. If anyone deigns to check my dormant blog. :)

I'll be back in December with a new diploma and hopefully lots to write about.

Notification

Maybe someday when I'm not a full time graduate student working 20 hours a week, I'll have something interesting to say and time to type it. Until then, I'm going to continue my blogging hiatus. Consider yourself notified.

It's Been a Long, Long Time

The problem with getting behind on blogging is that updating on all the wonderful events that have happened since my last post seems insurmountable. So, without any promises to ever post about the summer (which really was busy and wonderful) I'm beginning again with my dedication to blogging.

This weekend was a good combination of productivity and relaxing. Husband and I spent our Saturdays separately. He had work events and a gig, while I went to the eye doctor, saw The Help*, and bought a week's worth of groceries. I finished out the day putting together a late dinner and reading before bed.

*See The Help. It is not a chick flick. It is an everyone flick, as in everyone should go see it because it will make you laugh, cry, and think about how you treat people. Consider this your recommendation/hearty endorsement.

I'll probably go to see The Help again once Husband has read the book. He likes to read and then watch movies, and I support that generally, so it'll probably be a couple weeks.

Today we visited a local church for the third time and went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with some couples from church. If you haven't had their lemon ricotta pancakes, (or anything else I've ever tried on the menu) those have my endorsement as well. We've really felt welcome at this church and are excited about continuing to visit.

Sunday afternoon naps, followed by coupon clipping, sharing a slice of cheesecake, and trying a new recipe (zucchini boats stuffed with sausage, onions, garlic, and cheese) rounded out the weekend. I have one more week of full time work before my final semester of grad classes starts, and next weekend our niece turns 3, so there should be plenty to update and some pictures in the next post.

Have a blessed week!

More to Come

Someday maybe I'll have time to write about the moving process, how we celebrated our first anniversary, and the gorgeous wedding I attended this weekend.

But, that day is not today. For now, I'm using the unexpectedly available Internet access to solicit prayers. My sister and grandfather are in Africa on a medical mission trip, and it was a challenging day. Please pray for healing and for peace.

Also, on a lighter note, I may or may not have eaten these chips twice in the last week. I may or may not have chosen Subway for lunch yesterday because I was craving another bag of them. And I am not being paid by Frito Lay for this endorsement. Go get some of these chips, and thank me for the recommendation later.



We're moving on Saturday. I'm especially thankful for all the help my family (both sides) has given and will give during the whole process, and I'm so excited about getting settled at our new place! I'll return once I have Internet access at our new home. Until then, have a wonderful week!

Big News

No, the news is not baby-related. Consider yourself chastised for thinking the only big news a newlywed could possibly have is related to pregnancy. I forgive you, but try not to jump to that conclusion next time.

The actual big news has been on the tip of my tongue for a few weeks, but I had to keep it a secret until the appropriate people had been notified in person. Drum roll, please. Husband got a new job, and we're moving!

I had to wait to write anything about apartment hunting or packing until he finished up end-of-the-year activities and told his students that he was leaving. The new job is an amazing opportunity for so many reason, and we found an awesome apartment located about halfway between his new school and my office. Bonus: it has an attached garage!

Among so many upsides of this new opportunity, the one huge bummer about moving is that we love our church family, and we'll be too far to travel there multiple times each week. We'll be close enough to visit, but we want to be really involved with our church, and that means that we have to find a new church to place membership.

As I type, I am surrounded by boxes, both packed and unpacked, and there's still so much left to be done. I started full time work this week, and we're moving the middle of next month. When it rains, it pours. I'm looking forward to the long weekend to relax and pack. A dear friend is getting married on Saturday, so I'll get to attend her wedding and see lots of friends there. Then, I'll probably spend some time packing more boxes and relaxing.

I hope your weekend is filled with friends, fun, and exciting news!

Precious Commercial

I finished the semester, and now I'm on to a busy summer of working, etc. Maybe I'll write more about the end of the year later. For now, all you need to know is that I'm happy with my grades, and I've applied for graduation in December!

And now, to appease the jealousy of those of you who still have a couple weeks of school to go, I have a treat to make you smile. Watching the video is well worth 30 seconds of your time.

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of mother's day, I thought I'd post some pictures of some of my favorite mothers/grandmothers. I'm overwhelmingly blessed with them. So, thank you to the women who are related to me by birth for shaping me into who I am today, and thank you to the women who inherited me by marriage. You've made me feel very welcome, and I appreciate it more than I can say.

Without further ado, pictures of my mom, Sam's mom, and our grandmothers, courtesy of our talented wedding photographer, Arlene Cloud.