big and messy!

So. I just have to share this burger that Nate had for dinner tonight. It was gi-freaking-NORMOUS. I didn't get to snap the picture until after he had already snatched it up and had a bite. But it was called 'The BIG and MESSY' and it came with a GIANT knife stabbed in it. And he ate the whole thing.

After that dinner, we definitely had to go play a game of tennis to even attempt to counteract the bajillion calories that was in it. But, oh, it was worth it! Let me just say that those onion strings were AMAZING. And I was not at all sad about going to play tennis since we hadn't played in at least a month and a half because of Nate's back problems.

Speaking of his back, I guess I need to update y'all on the issue. He went to the doctor this past Tuesday and for now - NO SURGERY! Thank God! The disc seems to have healed itself for now; he has just taken quite a few layers off it as this isn't the first time it has been herniated. The doctor wants him to come in and get steroid shots every few months for the pain. And he's going in sometime soon for an MRI to get everything checked out. The doctor also said the reason Nate was having so much pain in his leg was that when he hurt his back so badly there were chemicals in his body leaked onto his nerve, which caused a good bit of damage. They can go in and clip the damaged nerve, but we're not taking that route right now. Maybe in the future if we need to, but we're going to see how things go now that he has a good doctor and some sort of plan.

So thanks again for all of your kind words and thoughts and prayers! It means a lot to both of us! And we're very glad to know what's going on now.

ALSO. I just entered this INCREDIBLE giveaway on Rose à la Mode's blog. She is giving away, not one, but TWO pairs of Hunter boots (one for you and one for a friend!) to celebrate her one year blogiversary! So you should totally stop by her site and check out the giveaway! You should also check out her blog because she has awesome style and can show you how to be creative and look great without totally draining your bank account. :)

We would love to return the favor. So please leave a comment and let us know anything we can say a prayer about for you!

i carried a watermelon.

So, how was your Fourth of July weekend? What did you do that was special?

Nate and I had some craziness; but overall, ours was pretty good.

On Thursday night, Nate and I were on the way to get dinner and run some errands when we experienced some pretty serious car troubles. We had to call our friends, Ryan and Steph, who were AMAZING and came all the way to the mechanic's to pick us up. But it was a blessing in disguise because we got to go to dinner with them when we hadn't seen them in at least a month. :)

On Friday Nate got a call from one of the guys at the shop. Me, being the GENIUS that I am, locked the car using the security system and didn't leave the key FOB with the key. So of course, when they tried to get into the car they couldn't. So Nate had to come all the way back home to get the rest of the keys and take them over to the shop.

After that trip, we went to our new favorite spot - JASON'S DELI!

Nate is in LOVE with their salad bar.

And I am absolutely addicted to their Chicago Club.

smoked turkey, bacon, provolone, organic spinach, roma tomatoes, smoked red pepper cilantro aioli, herb focaccia. <3

Pretty yummy.

We went down to Columbia this weekend to see the family.

On Saturday morning, Nate and I shared a watermelon that was quite delicious.

chloe jumped in my picture.

nate loves his knives.

After our tasty breakfast, we spent the day with Nate's family. We went shopping with his sisters. He actually came too! I got a pair of silver sandals from Payless for only $6 and a pair of nude flats from Target for $12. Which was SUPER exciting because I love love LOVE shoes, but don't like to pay a lot of money for them. And you just can't find shoes as cheap as you can find clothes.

We were supposed to go to my grandma's house with my parents for dinner on Saturday night, but her power went out, so we all met and went out somewhere instead. After dinner we got to go by my parents' house and look inside! They're doing a ton of renovations and aren't living there right now and we didn't think we'd be able to go in because the hardwoods had just been redone. But we did - and it looks great! I can't wait to see the finished product! :)

On Sunday we went to church and lunch with Nate's family. His sister, Jen, and her husband brought their little girl over so we could give her the birthday present we got her. We had to miss her third birthday party because it was the day Nate's back went out and we had to rush to urgent care. :(

Being the teacher that I am, I have to get her a book every year. This year was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. And we just happened to find a floor puzzle to go with it on clearance!

opening her gift!

working on her puzzle with aunt "smeshmie"

all done!

We also had a belated birthday celebration for Nate. And his mom baked his absolute favorite. Carrot cake. It was AMAZING.

After all of that, we packed up all our things, loaded up the dogs, and headed to my grandma's house for our second try at dinner. Everything worked out and she fixed a wonderful meal consisting of roast, string beans, squash casserole, homemade rolls, tomatoes, and quite a few other things. And for dessert?

homemade cherry cobbler!

We came home Sunday night and spent our Fourth pretty low key. We had some stuff to figure out regarding the car situation and we were exhausted from our long weekend with the family so we ended up heading to a small farmer's market and getting a ton of fresh, local fruits and vegetables and then finishing up our grocery shopping, fixing dinner and eating together and spending a relaxing night watching Cosby reruns.

But we had a great weekend full of family, friends and celebration. We had watermelon, ice cream, cake and cobbler. We got to worship freely in a church of our choosing. I'd say we had the perfect celebration of our Independence Day. :)

chloe says bye! :)

little successes!

Normally when I try a new recipe I pair it with something I know I'm not going to screw up.

But tonight I got brave and made, not one, but TWO new things.

(sorry the picture is so unappetizing. i took it with my iPod touch.)

Balsamic chicken with mozzarella and roasted tomatoes. And orzo with parmesan and basil.

The chicken didn't come out quite like I wanted, but I'm pretty happy with the end result. And I know what to do differently next time. Nate ate it and he's taking the leftovers to work tomorrow. And I actually loved the pasta. Definitely making that again. And it took me FORTY minutes total to make it all.

So yep. That's all! Just wanted to share because I was pretty excited!

wait for it...

Nate and I started the day off with a giant greasy breakfast at Hardees that was in no way good for us but it was SO GOOD.

Then we headed to the flea market and antique mall where I found a pair of Tiffany blue lamps that I thought were gorgeous but couldn't get because:
     1. We don't have a house in which to put them.
     2. Apparently mine and Nate's tastes do not agree, because he thought they were hideous.
     3. They weren't in our budget for this week anyway.
So, c'est la vie! Right? I DID manage to find a lampshade for the lamp we have that's been missing one for AGES. Anyone who has visited our apartment knows exactly what I'm talking about. So anyway. Here it is!

After leaving the flea market, we headed over to the farmer's market. For the first time since we've been up here. And we've been up here over a year now. Which is pretty crazy. We'll definitely be making the trip more often now that we've finally found it and made it out.

I found some heirloom tomatoes and was SUPER excited. And the woman who was running the booth had one sliced so I actually got to try it. I had been wanting to for a long time now. And OMG. It was DELICIOUS. I normally can't eat tomatoes by themselves, but I could definitely eat these with nothing else. And I love how unique they all look.

So what did we bring home from the farmer's market?

We got red, yellow and green bell peppers. And some romaine lettuce. And we'll be getting much more the next time around!

We also got a handmade food and water holder for Abs and Chlo. I'm going to paint it for them, so I'll post another picture once I've finished it. I'm going to try and work on it tomorrow if we don't have too much else going on.

And we ended the day with TACOOOOOOO NIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! Then took the puppies for a ride in the car to look at houses. And now we're about to curl up on the couch and watch The Cosby Show on Netflix.

So pretty much. In the words of Barney Stinson, today was legendary.

a good day. :)

Today was a good day. :)

I made it through my first week as a real live teacher alive and with no injuries. There were some crazy times, but nothing can beat the hugs and having the children hold up their work, beaming, saying "Miss Stephanie! Look at what I did!" It's a tiring job but it's worth every ounce of energy spent. And there is nothing in me that wishes I had chosen to do something else with my life.

Nate and I had a Mexican night tonight! Fajitas for two! Which is more like fajitas for about six - SO. MUCH. FOOD.

After dinner, we took the dogs for a walk down to the dock at our apartments. The weather was perfect. And there was nobody down there but us. It was so nice to have some time to relax together. :)

beautiful view from the dock.

watching the boats.

abby LOVES her daddy.

:)

her favorite place to be.

And here is a wonderful video of what happens when you try to get Chloe to do a trick.

Absolutely nothing.

 Most people say she's stupid. I prefer to say she does things on her own terms.

Anyway. Now it's 8:00 and we have the rest of the night ahead of us (and I have a four day weekend ahead of me). And it has been a good day. We are definitely blessed :)

Oh, I almost forgot. Nate just reminded me. We went to Carowinds yesterday for the bajillionth time so far this year and rode the Intimidator. And Nate took his iPod ON THE ROLLERCOASTER and took video. So here it is. In case you can't tell from the video, my anxiety level was through the roof because I thought he was going to drop it. I was seriously having a panic attack. I'm glad we have the video now, though. So yeah. Here it is. Enjoy. :)

I'll try to get to work on my trust30 post later on tonight. If not, it'll be posted in the morning.

What is something you've been blessed with today?

yummy yummy in my tummy!

I'm only working one job now and my life is once again manageable, so I've been able to start cooking dinner again. And I found this chicken recipe the other day that Nate and I both absolutely LOVE. So I thought I would share it with y'all. Let me know if you try it and what you think! And please be honest! My feelings won't be hurt if you hate it - I promise!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.
4. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Anyway...enjoy! :)

there's no place like home for the holidays.

So this holiday season has been pretty wonderful.

Nate and I have been blessed with his new job. We discovered that we're a little over a month away from paying off another student loan, meaning there will only be ONE left. I got to spend extra time with my three amazing kids the week before Christmas. Nate and I got to spend three days in Columbia with the family. We got to see parents and siblings and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. We were blessed enough to be able to afford to give gifts and cards to everyone. We enjoyed a lot of good food and good times with family. It even snowed in COLUMBIA the day after Christmas - and the snow stuck!

Now I am taking my day off to recover from the past weekend and get everything in the apartment back in order.

And I figured I'd move on to truth number six since it's been awhile...

6. Something you hope you never have to do.
I hope I never have to move somewhere north of the Mason Dixon Line. I HATE cold weather.

Chloe, on the other hand, LOVES it. Abby? Not so much. Last year, Abby was the one running through the snow and playing in it while I had to hold Chloe just to keep her warm. This year was the exact opposite.

Now it is time for me to do some more housework and get some running in before the hubby gets home. I will leave you with some pretty insightful words that were on Dave Ramsey's Facebook today:

"Not until the pain of the same is greater than the pain of change will you embrace change."

What words of wisdom have had a great impact on your decision making and how you live your life?

Also, I got a Barnes and Noble nook for Christmas. So if anyone else has one, let me know! I want to figure out this whole book sharing thing.

blessed.

Things have been pretty hectic around here lately. We've been driving all over the world, Nate's been working extremely hard, and I've been trying to get all the loose ends tied up for the end of the semester and for graduation. So I guess I'll just start where I left off a couple weeks ago...

Nate and I had a pretty great Thanksgiving. He had the entire week off and I had three days off. His grandpa came down from Minnesota and stayed with us for a day. He was supposed to be here longer, but the airline does what airlines do best and screwed his flight up. He had arranged for someone to take him to his plane in a wheelchair, but the person never showed. By the time someone got there and got him across the airport, the plane had left. Early. Without him. Sooooo we had to go pick his baggage up at midnight and then Nate had to go back the next day and get him. We packed up for five days away and loaded the car with all our bags, the dogs and all their belongings, Grandpa G and all of his belongings and Nate and I. I had about 10 inches worth of room in the back seat which I had to share with Abigail, Chloe and my purse. Then we drove Grandpa down to Columbia and spent the next couple days with Nate's family. We had a very yummy Thanksgiving meal. I made squash casserole and pumpkin cookies. And Nate made sauteed green beans. We played games and spent a lot of quality time with everyone, including our adorable niece, Alexa.

This face is priceless.

I really do love this girl!

Everyone worked hard on these decorations!

Heidi, Christiana and me with Grandpa G!

The placecards.

Nate and Alexa!

We also took advantage of the fact that we had the whole family together and took some family pictures...

And here we are! :)

The day after Thanksgiving we packed up all our stuff and the dogs and loaded the car back up. This time, sans Grandpa and his bags, which meant Abby and Beans got the backseat all to themselves and I got to sit up front. Actually, let me make a correction. I got to drive. Down to James Island (Charleston). While Nate got to nap. Wooooo. Hooooo. We spent the next two and a half days camping with my extended family. It was a ton of fun! We had all the essentials. S'mores. Campfires. Bikes. A buffet for every meal including things like brisket, homemade biscuits, oysters and pancakes. A flat screen TV to watch the Clemson v. Carolina game. You know, the necessities.

Watching USC kick Clemson's tail!

This works WAY better than a campfire! And burns marshmallows in about 5 seconds.

Our beautiful rented motorhome.

The James Island County Park is decorated in amazing displays of Christmas lights every year, so we got to see that every time we went out at night. Plus, they have a winter festival and adorable Christmas shops. I got an penguin ornament with our names on it for our tree! (I buy one everywhere we go. I'm not big on themed trees. I like them to be personal and unique. Also, I'm obsessed with penguins. I want one for a pet but Nate keeps telling me no. I have no clue why.)

The trip down to Charleston was great and the perfect way to relax. And it was so nice to see so many family members. Overall, I'd say our Thanksgiving break was pretty amazing. :)

Now, two weeks late, I'm going to end with a list of things for which I am EXTREMELY thankful. I know I have more updating to do, but we have been so blessed that I don't want to go without this.

I am thankful for...
...the love and grace which bas been bestowed on me by my perfect Father.
...my amazing husband, who constantly puts up with me, takes care of me and loves me.
...our two beautiful, adorable, crazy puppies who make sure our lives are never boring.
...the amazing families we both have and the fact that we can be near them and spend so much time with them.
...being given the opportunity to get to know so many amazing children and their families and be a part of their lives.
...finally finishing school and the fact that I was able to go to grad school for free.
...being able to stay in Charlotte and not having to move eight hours away.
...being able to get super cheap flights so we could go visit family we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise.
...all my amazing friends, who, even though we don't talk as much anymore, are always there.
...finding a church home here in Charlotte.


I could add many more items to this list, but it's almost 11:00 and I have to be at school at 7:30 in the morning. AND we have to drive to Columbia late tomorrow. Needless to say, I need sleep if I'm going to function at all. So the rest of the updating will hopefully come very very soon.

Goodnight. :)

we eat WAY too many tacos.

I woke up with a headache AGAIN today. And took some medicine, went back to bed and slept in AGAIN today. Now I'm finally up getting things done around the house. And making a yummy Chicken Caesar Salad for lunch. :)

This weekend was pretty good. On Friday, I worked and then came home and fixed tilapia, baked mashed potatoes and salads for dinner. I really could eat seafood everyday. Then on Saturday I worked all day long (from 10 to 5). And Nate ended up driving down to Columbia to help his friend Ben pack up all his stuff because he moved up here to Concord. I spent all Saturday night here by myself watching 90210 and Law and Order SVU reruns until he got home at 10:30. Then on Sunday morning, we went up to Concord to help him unpack all his stuff. After we got home, we went looking at apartments. And we actually found a couple we like - YAY! :) And when we got home we ate dinner. Guess what we had? It starts with a T and ends with ACOS!!!!!! My new favorite, in case you couldn't tell.

We're in seriously bad shape when it comes to groceries right now. No bread, milk, or cheese. No TACO SHELLS. No popsicles. Just to name a few things. But at least we have the things I need for my lunch.

Oh, and here are some more pictures from the Walk Now for Autism Speaks. I didn't do a very good job at documenting it, but Nate's family came and Heidi took some good ones. So I stole these.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway...where the walk was.

Nate jumping.

Nate and Heidi.

Me, Rebecca, Wesley and Nate!

The Pit Stop Challenge!

She was fast!

I was not!

And now it's time for truth number four!

4. Something you have to forgive someone else for.

Hm. You know, I try to make it a habit to forgive others for things they've done to me as soon as I can. Because I really hate harboring resentment against people. And God says that we are to forgive people who do wrong against us "seventy times seven." I didn't always live this way, and I found out pretty quickly that holding grudges can make you a very bitter and angry person. And life just isn't worth living that way. We weren't meant to live life that way. So I really can't think of a single person I have yet to forgive for something. 

And that is all. :)

EDIT: Apparently we are in worse shape as far as groceries go than I thought. And we're out of lettuce. So no salad for me. Just chicken. :(  It's definitely going to be shopping time when I get off work.

walk the walk.

Today was a pretty great day! We had friends and family come up to see us and walk in the Carolinas Walk Now for Autism Speaks. And our team raised $505, which was over 60% of our goal. Not to mention that I not only met my fundraising goal, but surpassed it. Which was really awesome, because I hadn't put nearly as much effort into raising money as I should have. There was just so much going on this summer that I ended up putting it on the backburner for awhile. But all in all, everything went well. There was a great turnout today and the weather was perfect!

Oh, and here's a video of me doing the Pit Stop Challenge at the walk. Nate, Wesley, Rebecca and I all tried it. I was a little slow, but I definitely think I could have been super quick with some practice. 

After the walk, we all went and ate lunch. Then Nate and I came home and passed out. I had been up with a seriously annoying cough until about 3:30 this morning and then had to get up for the walk at 7, so by the time we got back to the apartment I could barely hold my eyes open. We were hoping to go to the corn maze today but there was absolutely no way I could have made it through that. So I guess we'll save it for next weekend. It'll be something to look forward to! There's supposed to be some sort of mystery to solve in the maze this year...so I am super excited! Anyway...I slept for about two hours and probably could have laid there longer. We had TACOS! for dinner and now we're getting ready to watch a movie before getting back in bed.

By the way, I just have to throw this in... Our Gamecocks beat Alabama today...YAY! :)

We also finally got rid of our tomato plants yesterday, but I did take a picture of our last harvest.

We'll miss you, tomatoes. Until next year...

I was going to do the second of my thirty truths, but I'm ready to curl up with the puppies and watch this movie, so I think I'm going to save it for later. Goooooooooodnight! :)

sick? really?

Let me start off by saying that I have not been able to go outside enough these past few days. The weather has been PERFECT.

On Friday, Nate and I took the dogs to the park and Chloe completely wore herself out chasing after the soccer ball. It's almost bigger than she is and she had absolutely no fear attacking it when it came zooming at her. She also really enjoyed the car ride. Her ears were blowing in the wind so much I was pretty sure she was going to take flight and go right out the window.

That's our girl!

Watching us play soccer.

And Saturday afternoon we went down to Columbia to see the family for the first time in a month. We ate dinner with my parents. And my dad made boiled peanuts, and I'm pretty sure I had about a million of them. We brought home two bags and I doubt they'll last longer than a couple days. And we just spent the rest of the night watching a movie. It was very nice to curl up on the couch with Nate and the puppies and relax for a little while. And nice to be able to do all of that with the family.

Today we went to church with Nate's family and then ate a very early lunch with them. Actually, it might as well have been brunch. Then we had to head back up to Charlotte so I could go to work. Which I did. And now I am home sweet home. With a sore throat and aching body and no energy...all of which came out of absolutely nowhere. Nate's been sick, but I figured since I hadn't caught it yet it wasn't coming. But I might be wrong. I REALLY hope I'm not wrong, because sickness is the last thing I need right now.

I think I will just get my blanket and peanuts and medicine and not move from the couch for the rest of the night.