Nutricious

I'm all about the snow these days. I'm still hoping for so much snow that it's a clean white sheet on the ground, but I was perfectly happy with a half a foot of snow. We went back to the same forest.

 You may be asking why I'm wearing rain boots in the snow. You see, I had a dilemma that morning. Should I keep my feet warm or dry? I'm still not sure which would've been the best decision. My little toesies were pretty cold in those rain boots, but they were dry!

Even the river has ice floating on it! It stayed below 10 degrees for a while that day through Sunday.

Can you see that tree in the water stuck behind the bridge? That's been there since the flood. I keep thinking I'll look and it will have floated off, but apparently, it likes the brick. If I were that tree, I think I'd venture off to see what the river sees farther downstream.

Well, I have good news for all you who follow this blog. I now have a job!! I'm excited to start working. Hopefully I will bring joy to the people I care for and the people I work with.
So what is the job? I was telling people that I'm going to be working in a nursing home. Apparently that gives off bad vibes. So I started saying long-term care facility. It's all about the connotations.
But really, I'm so happy that I'll be working in a nursing home. Working with geriatrics is in my top three choices of a career in nursing. Did you know that the word nurse comes from the Latin word nutricious meaning nourishing? That is what I hope to be: nourishing. A comfort. A joy. With help from Christ, I know I can accomplish this.

P.S. My sister, Emily, sent this recipe to me and we loved it! She's currently doing the Daniel fast which means eating only fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I'm a fan of spaghetti squash, but I usually just make spaghetti with it. This recipe gave it the flavors of the Southwest that we love most! Doesn't it just look so good and healthy?? http://bevcooks.com/2011/10/southwestern-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/

Much love, Em. I hope Phil survives the fast!

Wonder

There's no question why the call it a winter wonderland.
It's because there is so much wonder.

Isn't it hard to fathom the fact that every single snowflake it different?? There have been billions of quadrillions of snow flakes since they were created and still, each one is unique. That is one creative mind you have there, God.

Photo courtesy of my talented husband. :) Isn't it beautiful?? I had such a marvelous time walking through the woods. We could see tracks from someone else walking their dog, but it still felt like we were the only ones out there. So peaceful. I'm blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

You know what else there have been billions of, each created differently?

People!!
Out of all the tons of people created, every single one has had their own personality, their own appearance, their own backgrounds. We are excited by different things. We have different callings. We love differently. Different things irk us. We are so different. But we all have at least one thing in common: One Great Creator.

Different is beautiful.

Brussels...unfortunately not Belgium

I guess this is what comes of getting a puzzle from a thrift store. Can you see the missing piece in the mountain?

Haha. Oh well. It was still fun. But what do you do with a puzzle with a missing piece? I can only think to recycle it.

So what did we have for our first Meatless Monday? Oh please don't ask. You see, Monday, January 2nd was a holiday. Ergo, it felt like a Saturday. AKA--we totally forgot it was Meatless Monday and had pizza for dinner. Haha...oops. But we don't count that one.
So what did we have for our second Meatless Monday? Oh, thanks for asking!! We had minestrone soup and our favorite quick dinner rolls. I will admit that I did not make the soup from scratch. Have you heard of the Bear Creek soup mixes? They are wonderful. I would endorse them. But the rolls were homemade. MMMM!!

In other food stories...
I've been wanting to try Brussels sprouts for a while now since I can't remember having them. So when The Pioneer Woman made them on her Christmas special show, I knew I'd found my recipe. They were so simple. I didn't get a good pic, so I'll just let you travel to her website for them. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/brussels-sprouts-with-balsamic-and-cranberries/ So what did I think of the sprouts? Well, I'm certainly not going to eat them till I bloat, but they were good. If you like cabbage, you'd love these. I do like cabbage, but mostly as cold cole slaw. Would I make them again? Yes...in a few months. What's the best part about this?? Matt said he would make them again. Score!
Word from the wisened: While boiling the balsamic vinegar, please do not lean over the pot and take a big whiff. I think I singed quite a few nose hairs doing that very thing. Who knew hot balsamic was so strong?? It took a while for my olfactory sensors to recover from that one. 
Don't say I didn't warn you.

So now I'm trying to come up with more new things to cook this week. I might as well go all out while I have so much time on my hands. Any ideas??

A New Year

Usually, I don't plan a New Year's resolution, mostly because they never last past January. This year, however, I am going to commit to a couple. My sister, Katie, inspired me. She actually kept her resolution all year in 2011!!! No carbonated drinks the whole year! No Dr. Pepper?!? Poor thing. Hope January 1, 2012 finds you content with a big DP, Kate!
I have a few ideas for mine. I'm thinking they should be about my mental, spiritual, and physical health. What do you think of these?
1) Meatless Mondays -- no meats for Monday night dinner.
2) Seafood at least once a week -- As much as we prefer steak, fish is so much healthier for us than red meats.
3) Commit to running a half marathon in the summer -- this would keep me working out on a weekly basis...maybe just a 5k.
4) Study nursing content at least 15 minutes every day -- so by the time the big ol' NCLEX-RN rolls around, I'll be more ready for it.
5) Spend as much time listening in prayer as I do talking -- what God has to say is infinitely more important and beneficial than my own words.
6) Start volunteering at an organization -- giving time and love to others is one of the most fulfilling things in life.

I'll probably hone in on a couple. Number one would be simple. Five would be the most difficult.
In a few months, you can ask me how it's going. Hopefully I'll still be on track! 

What are your resolutions for this new year?

Blessed

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

So I typed that last post in a hurry because it had been so long since the previous post. In doing so, I left emotion on the curb. I will remedy this.
When Matt came home with the Christmas tree, I was so surprised and excited. I felt so loved because of this small act of selflessness. I cried. I hugged him a thousand times and kept exclaiming, "BABY!!! We have a tree!! You got me a real TREE!!!" I had given up on the hope of a tree for our first Christmas together. Why is a little Douglas fir so important to me? Maybe because one of my favorite memories from childhood is going with my family to pick out the perfect tree. Of course, we're from Lubbock, so we went to Lowe's, not a tree farm. But it was still magical to sort through all the trees, raving about how wonderful they smelled, feeling so proud when you found the one your whole family would decide was perfect.
But back to the story, I think why I was so pleased with Matt's gift is because I know he did it just for me. He would have been fine without a tree, but he knew how much it meant to me. He amazes me with how thoughtful he is. Matt reminds me of my Savior in so many ways. He knows what I need or want without asking. The best thing is, he doesn't do this only for me. He sees other peoples' needs as well and fulfills them if he can. In this, he is generous and selfless, and I hope to become more like him.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas morning? I hope so! I think my family in Texas has had more snow this winter than we have in Pennsylvania! So jealous.

This poem was written by a wonderful man at our church. It was presented this morning in our Christmas service and I loved it! He gave me a copy, so I'm going to share it with you!!

Is There Still a Christmas?

Is there still a Mary, a virtuous young lady, whose faith is in her God? One who values her purity more than the mob?
Is there a Joseph; the fear of God running through his veins? A man God can entrust with his most hallowed, divine treasure to guard and to keep?
Are there any shepherds without hesitation, leaving all to follow the call to worship the eternal lamb with exuberance, telling one and all?
Are there still wise men under the directive hand of God who are willing to go the distance? Gifts and talents increased by being exercised; presented back to the giver, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Oh God; is there still a Christmas in me?

Author John Sensening

I love the call to present-day people to live as those at the time of Jesus' birth. If copies are made, please give credit to John.

Christmas Tree

It's official!! I am now a licensed practical nurse in the state of Pennsylvania!! Woohoo! Now the job search is on.

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Best part of my week so far? My husband brought home a Christmas tree for me! I didn't think we'd have one this year since it's only going to be up a few days before Christmas, but he surprised me! Isn't he the greatest? I'm so glad we have a live, little fir tree for our first Christmas together. It's a little scarce on the ornaments, but the ones adorning our little tree have special meaning. My mom gave all my ornaments from my childhood to me when I married Matt. Special memories are collected in them. Our sister Ali also gave us an ornament that contains a picture of us for our first Christmas. I love it! 

I'm hoping for snow this Saturday. Who knew that I would move all the way to PA and then still have the possibility of no snow on Christmas day?!? Fingers crossed..

Snow?

It's December and there is still no snow here. I thought I would be piled in snow by now, but all we have is homemade snowflakes. What's going on?

Aren't those just precious? It's possible I have too much time on my hands. I'm excited for the first big snow. Maybe I'll do some sledding on one of these Endless Mountains. They call the landscape around us in PA the Endless Mountains, but I think they're more like big hills. They do go on forever, though. I miss my wide open Texas spaces. There's no watching the sunset sink into the horizon here.

In spite of this, life can move on because my beloved egg nog is now gracing the shelves of grocery stores everywhere.

MMMMM!!

Because of this blog, I've asked Matt to teach me some lessons about photography. I've learned a lot. Hopefully my photos will keep getting better. These are his notes for me so I don't forget. :) Isn't he great?

This was a photo I took while learning a lesson about aperture and what-not. Brown eggs are so pretty aren't they?