What Dave Ramsey, Christmas and Valentine's Day all have in Common

He gets the last bites of the cream from our Crème brûlée, because I've already eaten all the burnt sugar.

Christmastine's.
 
Yes. I said it. We made it up. But don't be confused, it has immense meaning for us.

And no, Lechner, we don't need calendars. We have them, thankyouverymuch.

Every year we've been married lines up almost perfectly with with every year that Cliff's been working at Lampo (that's where Dave comes in). It was December 2007 and we were leaving the Christmas party (that's where Christmas comes in), walking the streets of Nashville with our jaws dropped so low they were practically doing the street sweepers' jobs. We were blown away that night and were excitedly chattering on and on about which location we'd likely request for our "pick where you want to go" $50 giftcard. 

Well, after little debate, we settled on Bonefish.

Sidenote: our second Valentine's together - in 2006 - was at Bonefish. And that was a pivotal year. What with the recent closing of Houston's, the location of our first Valentine's and the first proper restaurant (Panera doesn't count) that we ever shared a meal together in within a week of dating. Bonefish met every expectation and soon became a favorite - especially for this coastal girl who finds it difficult to get good seafood in a land-locked state. And for the record, Valentine's 2007 was at Zola, which has also since closed. I'm sensing a pattern...

And though we had that giftcard just burning a hole in our proverbial pockets, the days drew closer to our first married Valentine's and it only seemed appropriate to use it then (thanks for the date, Dave!) But, you see, we'd learned our lesson in 2006 when on the actual date of February 14th we stood and waited for an hour and a half at Bonefish, despite already having reservations for dinner that evening. So we booked reservations a couple of nights post-Valentine's, and enjoyed a lovely meal together. At some point in the evening, I said something to this extent: 

"You know - this is like our own holiday, right? Because it's not Christmas, though we're using a Christmas gift. And it's not exactly Valentine's, though it's always nearby. But it's really in the spirit of both. It's like Christmastine's!"

And it stuck.

So every year since, usually just a couple of days before or after February 14, when the waiter or waitress asks "Is this your first time dining with us?", we smile broadly at each other with a knowing look of familiarity, joy, and nostalgia, and say "Oh no, no. We've been here before."

And then, after we've had our adult beverages, eaten our share of an appetizer (I dream about Bang Bang Shrimp) and a shared entree, or if we're feeling frisky, one each - and are polishing off of our traditional Bonefish dessert, I think, "I have got to be the luckiest girl in the world." We slide out of the booth, he grabs my hand in the parking lot, and walks me to the car... and the feeling settles in again: I know I am.

The Definition of Decorating

Watch, and be amazed.

As Cliff Mentioned

And as you all evidently already know, Christmas preparations are in full swing, and I, for one, am ecstatic about it all. Just the first couple of notes of "Silent Night" on Mix Ninety-Two Niiiiiiiiiine... and I've lost it. Don't even think about singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas" around me or you're sure to get snot in your face.

But anyways.

The tree is up.



The Christmas cards have started coming in (and ours are finally designed and ordered!)



Cliff's cube has been decorated.



All but one Christmas gift has been purchased. We've had our fare share of Hot Nogolate around the house (uh, yeah, it's hot chocolate made with egg nog and milk). The Christmas parties have begun. We've sung carols a couple of nights with different groups of people. The decorations are still finding their way into new places in our home.









Overall, we're loving everything about this season despite its hustle and bustle!

That Time Of The Year

Hey there everyone! It's been a while again since I've written a blog so I thought that I would take a moment and do one on this wonderful Wednesday morning. We are a little less than 16 days away from Christmas and it is that time of the year when we are all either starting or finishing up with plans for the holidays and decorations.

It's been a pretty crazy last few weeks and we are about to wrap up the decorations at home. We did get our tree up last week and it really looks great in the new house. I'm sure Kristine might get a picture or two up of the house before Christmas. We also were blessed to be able to travel to Raleigh to visit Kristine's sister and brother-in-law, and niece and nephew as well. It was a wonderful time and also difficult at the same time when we had to leave since we only get see them around once a year on average.

I wish we had more time and money to see the members of her family a whole lot more than we do but I guess we just have to be thankful for the time that we do have with our family when we can see them during this stage of our lives. I'm sure that every family across the country deals with emotions and feelings like this from time to time but the holidays do seem to make one reflect on things more than other times of the year. Again, I'm just thankful for all that we have been blessed with in our lives.

Work is going great and I am spending my days working inside of a giant present (literally) as a result of my crazy decorating idea for my cubical and the intense decorating that has been going on all across the building. There has been a competition here at work the past week for each section of the building to decorate their area and today it should all be done and ready to be judged. There are around 16 different areas in the building that have decorated by the individuals teams in those area and there is quit a bit of creativity and variety in every area. I wish you could be here to see it all. It looks great!

Kristine has been crazy busy with work at Belmont and her photography business (which is doing wonderfully and really taking off the ground). Also, I would say that just keeping up with me and being an awesome wife is more than a full time job itself. Hopefully she will be able to finally get some great rest over the course of her vacation time around Christmas and New Years. She deserves it!

Life is busy for sure these days but it is really nice to stop for a moment during the day and think and reflect on why we are all doing so much to decorate and celebrate the season. To think about our wonderful families and friends and how lucky we are to have all of them. And to know that God is in all of this and it all would mean nothing if he hadn't sent His son.

Those were a few of my thoughts as I have been going through the morning and I thought that I would take a moment to make sure that I reflected on them and to share them with everyone as well. I hope that your day and week is going great as well and that maybe this post will fill your heart with a little holiday cheer!

In Full Gear

I don't think I knew that time could go by this quickly.

It feels like just yesterday was May 1st, and now here we are on the edge of my birthday weekend which always means that the end of May is only a week away.

We are in full gear, for sure. Both of us so busy at work we're forgetting to eat lunch some days and to surface for air. And the funniest thing happens when both of us cross our respective work thresholds at 4:30PM. We're in normal mode.

Sure, normal is still relatively busy because we've got tons of extra little things like photo sessions, Dale Carnegie class, men's and women's groups, and work functions.

But it's like my brain shuts off and I forget where I am, I forget how busy life is, I forget how much is really going on when I have moments like getting into the safe cocoon of my car on the drive home and blaring "Strawberry Swing", or in the movie theatre with friends on a Wednesday night watching a straight up chick-flick, or sitting out in the middle of pure Tennessee country holding a sleeping baby in my arms and watching a bonfire die out as the next to last guests leave the Lampo ELP picnic.

Oh, I could have sat out there forever. It was so rewarding after the busy and yet good day I had at work yesterday. So much is happening in preparation for Summer Orientation to begin in just a few short weeks, I got a huge chunk of to-dos chopped off the list and it just felt nice.

We're getting away for the night and tomorrow with Natalie and Ryan to play outside, jump in waterfalls, and just be. The prospect of more "being out in the country" sounds like heaven right now, and I'm very much looking forward to it! That is, before returning on Sunday to my first Associate wedding and celebrate me being alive for a quarter of a century. Weird.

Hope you all have a beautiful holiday weekend and take time to relax!

We're Off To Who Knows Where!

Well, Where Do We Start?

We've got hundreds of pictures on our camera (thanks to my THREE new 4GB CF cards!!!), a mini-DVD's worth of video footage, stacks and stacks of stuff (both new gifts and old finds) all throughout the living room, nearly 2,000 more miles on my gem of a car, and some great memories of time well-spent with family.

I wanted to be home so badly once we finished our hour and a half detour on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, simply because I was tired of the car. All week I had been waking up and reorienting myself to being somewhere else, somewhere different. Then last night when we crawled into bed after opening up a week's worth of Christmas cards, exchanging the last of our own gifts, and cooking up some DELICIOUS crab cakes my sister-in-law sent us back with, I got kind of sad. Not that we were home, of course. But that we were so far away from my family that we had spent a good stretch of days with.

There were some surprising moments of sentimentality throughout the week in the form of gifts from Mom and watching old home videos and sorting through a lot of my old stuff at Dad's. Stuff that's getting boxed up (or that I confiscated to bring back with me) to make my bedroom more of a guestroom. Which I understand, completely. I guess it's just we're so used to everything happening quickly when we go to visit my family and yet, even in just a short amount of days, everything felt a little less visit-like and a little more normal.

I think Cliff had a great first-introduction to spending the actual holiday of Christmas with my family. Christmas Eve morning we woke up, had one of my favorite breakfasts (breakfast casserole), and exchanged gifts with Mom and Marcus. Then we packed up, hit the road for about three and a half hours, and went straight to Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas Eve celebrations with everyone. Everyone being Cliff and me, my grandparents, Dad and Sue, my ten aunts and uncles, my thirteen cousins, and two guests. Yes, that's thirty-one people (in case you were counting).

Then Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged gifts with Dad, Sue, and Sue's parents who stayed the night with us. We another favorite breakfast of mine, and a speciality of my dad's - Eggs Benedict, and toasted to a bittersweet morning of quiet with mimosas. It was a good morning and then a great night at Sue's brother, my uncle Steve's house, with plenty of company there as well. Company being Cliff and me, Dad and Sue, and my (step, just for clarity's sake): grandparents, brother and sister-in-law, niece and nephew, five aunts and uncles, six cousins (plus one future-in-law), and three cousins, once removed. And again, that's twenty-five. Whew, right? (p.s. I found this great site about labeling cousins "once-removed", "second", "twice-removed", etc. It really helps when you've got a big family!)

Friday we had the fortune of driving out to my sister's dad's house about forty-five minutes away to visit while her while she was staying with them (on her first Christmas break from COLLEGE!). She wasn't at Mom's (evidently) while we were there, so I have to say that having Bob, Jodi, and Owen not too far from Dad's is rather convenient in instances such as this! We had lunch, exchanged gifts, and had a great visit thanks to everyone's hospitality...

Friday Uncle Steve had everyone back over for a Texas Hold'em Night in his basement, a game which Cliff plays none-too-often and was really not too excited about throwing away $10 for. Don't get me wrong, he enjoys it - a lot. It's just he hasn't played in, oh, two years and wasn't feeling like this would be his big night. But he was a trooper; he borrowed a couple of bucks from me (to make his $10), zipped up his jacket up to his chin, and put on my sunglasses. And what do you know... he won! Cliff took first, Dad took second, and my cousin Andrew took third. And now it looks like maybe someone who was so insistent on buying a poker set a few years back, might actually get some use out of it!

Saturday was a day for coffee and breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, cleaning out the room and watching old videos, and a family get-together at Aunt Margy and Uncle Dave's new house in New Market (complete with dinner from a surprisingly great BBQ joint in MD called CarterQue).

As with last Sunday, yesterday was our travel day. Long, windy, and a little rainy... but beautiful, safe, and enjoyable. I think we finished with LOTR somewhere around Knoxville and then talked about anything and everything we could think of until we pulled into the parking lot in front of our apartment.

And though I was a little sad, I smiled as we made about five trips back and forth from the car to our little home thinking that anywhere with Cliff is as close to home as I'll ever get. I'm so thankful for that.

A Christmas Greeting!

It's Christmas Eve Morning

And surprise, surprise, I'm the only one up.

Every morning that we've been here, I've slipped out of bed and found a comfy place on the couch to plant myself on and make a dent into the good, easy read I picked up at the library. Usually it's another hour or so before someone makes their way from the back bedrooms or from the upstairs loft and half tiredly - half crankily join the world of the living.

This quiet time I relish. And on this particular morning that we're celebrating our Christmas here before hopping in the car later this afternoon, it has a particularly refreshing quality that I don't want to take for granted.

Reflection is so lovely and essential. It's a wonder I make it from day to day when I don't stop to think about cause and effect, beauty in difficulty, lessons in life and the like. I think that's what time like this is most useful for, because I find in reflection that it is easier to talk to God. To simply pray. And to find that I am grateful for so much more than I remember to thank Him for on a regular basis.

In this season, I am most of all thankful for the gift of a new and abundant life through Jesus. And that we have every reason to expect and to hope in Him. And that Christmas is so much more about giving than receiving and that I guess, with age, that's finally starting to make sense and become a reality to me. Though receiving is half the beauty of giving, don't you think?

Anyways, I'm rambling.

But we've had a great time here... walking around a memorial and the mall in Norfolk... taking in beautiful views at lunch and on a boardwalk stroll down at the beach... and best of all, watching movies, playing games, sharing meals, and snuggling with the cats here at home. I'm sad to be leaving in a couple of hours but grateful that our time with family isn't over just yet...

We'll be in our way to Maryland to visit with dad and the rest of the family up there, starting with Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house tonight!

Genius

If you know me, you know that Molly is one of my best friends, and she has always been one of my most creative friends. Photographic, graphic, media, marketing, crafts... you name it, she does it. And at that, she does it well. And she has helped me a lot (more than she probably knows) to find some new inspiration for my recent creative ventures, both in ideas and in resources.

And guess what she just gave me for Christmas. Well, I hate to break it to you but you'd never guess. This gift is just too genius for anyone to dream up (though, someone did) and genius enough that I'm just... amazed.

Check it out:


How cool is that?!

In case it doesn't make sense, it's all of the keyboard shortcuts on a mac for operating Photoshop. Translated: This will make my life so much better. So much more lovely. So much... sigh... easier.

Thanks, Moll!

Post-Thanksgiving Reflections

What a great day! Seriously...

I spent all of yesterday morning shooting pictures of our adorable niece and nephews, Neeley, Luke, and Parker, as well as their parents, Brad and Wendy, out at their farm. Cliff was a great assistant, and I'm really excited with a lot of the shots. If I had our computer, I'd probably have something to show for it, but you'll just have to wait until next week to see these beauties.

Later, we had an early Thanksgiving meal out at the cabin with all of Cliff's parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, and nieces and nephews. You can imagine in a fairly small hard-wooded cabin, it was a pretty loud and raucous time. I did manage to take a nap and get some time to talk with my family, though, so it couldn't have been that bad. We made a last-minute decision to stay out at the lake last night and kept Neeley, Luke, and Parker there with us. We managed to tweak the bunny ears enough to catch "The Incredibles" on the TV and watched lots of the boys (my husband included) playing "Halo" on the XBOX 360.

It was a beautiful morning out at the lake, today, so we attempted to stay there as long as possible. Which basically means until we got so hungry or so tired of wearing the same clothes from the day before, that we just gave up. Unfortunately, most of the food stores from the summer have been depleted and everyone took leftovers home, so all we had this morning was a loaf of bread and maybe 3 cups worth of milk. I managed to improvise and whipped up some cinnamon toast, which was mighty tasty if I do say so myself.

Since we left just before lunch, we drove the kids back out to the farm and we just can't really seem to find the motivation to leave. It's just wonderful out here, and having no plans and no responsibilities and nowhere to be is just nice - if even for today.

I'm thankful for that, among many things!
I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving, and we're sorry we didn't manage to get on here to say so!

Short[er] Day at Work

Well, I'm over the hump for the day!

Here in university administration, we have been graciously given a half day off today. So I'll be heading out in an hour or half or so to head home, pack my stuff, and make sure the apartment is all tidied up before leaving to pick up Cliff. He has also been graciously given a shorter day as well, which will put him leaving at 4PM instead of the usual 5:30PM.

I realized this week how fortunate I was to be a student for so long, particularly these last two years at Vandy where the students (graduate, included) get off for the whole week of Thanksgiving. Because I was a "student first!", I always got off for my assistantships then, as well. On the flipside, it's incredible how much of the other part of my job I can get done when students are not around - at least not quite as much. Not that I would trade my time with them for anything... things seem a little pointless without them around.

It's just so quiet here, but maybe that's a good thing. Becuase Lord knows the next couple of days, tomorrow especially, will be jam-packed with people to see, places to go, and things to do. And I wouldn't have it any other way... at least, as long as I can find some time to sleep-in, read, and, as we like to say, relaxitate.

Thanksgiving with the Finchers

Yesterday, against all odds (namely my inability to speak), we had our Fourth Annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner with Casey and Sara. We started out in 2005 with your traditional cuisine and every year since, our variations of Thanksgiving fare have become increasingly more creative. This year was no exception!

Our lovely hosts:


...dreamed big and decided on Turkey Manicotti for the entree. (Come to find out, cannelloni and manicotti are kind of but not really the same thing. Here's what ever-reliable wiki has to say about the matter.)

From there, the rest of the menu was decided in a series of reply-all e-mails and was as follows:

Crostini w/ Olive Spread [Finchers]
Turkey Manicotti [Finchers]
Greens w/ Strawberries, Red Onions, Pecans, and Cranberries [Finchers]
Country Green Beans [Neeleys - I used the recipe I linked on last week's FLL!]
Peppery Parmesan Mashed Potatoes [Finchers]
Pumpkin Cannoli Tarts [Finchers]
Pumpkin Pie [Neeleys]

(I think we got off too easy, this year...)

Not only is is great to have good friends, but good friends who can cook, who love to have fun, and with whom we've been able to share some great moments with over the last few years. And there was a new Fincher to celebrate with us, this year! And of course, what is Thanksgiving without playing card games and watching football?! OH, and playing BLOCKUS!!!!!!

We've already started brainstorming for next year's menu...

Happy Veterans Day

For some of us, it's easy to forget Veterans Day or to easily confuse it with Memorial Day - the day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.

While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, it is instead the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

...to my husband, Cliff.
...to my grandpa, Bert.
...to my great grandpa, Willard.
...to my uncle, Joe.
...to my father-in-law, Wendell.
...to my second cousins, Michael G. and Michael L.
...to my cousin-in-law, Gill.
...to our friends, Aaron, Frank, and Andy.
...to those whom I have forgotten or have not ever met.

I know you didn't make the choice to serve your country for the "thanks" or the pats on the back. And I know for some of you your course was long and for others you gave as much time as you could offer. But either way, thank you for serving.



"I took an oath - and it's the best oath I ever took. I'm at peace if I come back with parts of me missing. And I'm at peace if I don't come back at all." - Lance Cpl. Michael Glover

Excited for Christmas

Cliff asked me last night if I was excited about Christmas, and you would have thought he had three heads the way I looked at him. My immediate answer was "Of course not! It's not even Thanksgiving!" He was astonished. He lives for Christmas! And sure, I've been mapping out gifts for our family and occasionally pondering what needs to be done post-turkey to get our little apartment ready for the holiday, but I just hadn't felt it yet.

The leaves are still on the trees (despite last night's rain), there's still pumpkins and pumpkin-flavored creations everywhere, sugary candy corn still sits in candy dishes across this nation, and good grief - it's only the seventh of November!

And then, strangely enough, a comment from mom requesting an e-mail with our holiday plans came and in drafting my response, it hit me: I'm excited for Christmas! (Getting free coffee in a red cup at Starbucks the other day probably helped to subliminally cause such emotions...)

Of course that means nothing in the grand scheme of things; we'll still hold off on decorating, listening to cheery seasonal music, drinking our first peppermint mochas (well, hot chocolate for Cliff) and gift-gathering for a few more weeks. But I can't wait for it all!

Halloween Plans

I wish we were doing this again, tonight:


But, alas, we are not.

Tonight, Cliff, after a day of working hard setting up for tomorrow's event, is taking two of his ELPs, who are from the area and attending the event, out for dinner at Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland. So that should be fun! It's always really exciting for him, after putting in a lot of phone-time with his ELPs, to actually get to meet them and spend some quality face-time with them. It's amazing how much of his job is about relationships and yet it's sometimes years before an ELP meets his or her ELP Advisor. I think Cliff's liking Portland pretty well so far, though it is (surprise) a bit rainy and gray. Last night, Cliff said the team went out for dinner at Portland's oldest restaurant and he enjoyed an early morning of Doubletree hotel lobby breakfast and some quiet time on his balcony overlooking Holladay Park before heading off for set-up.

I, on the other hand, will be helping with check-in at Parent and Family Weekend at Belmont tonight, before retiring home to prepare our budget for November, maybe watch a fun movie, and then try to hit the hay fairly early because tomorrow will be a looooong day. 7:30AM check-in for Parent and Family Weekend through 10PM departure of the bride and groom at the wedding I am assisting Gray Photography with tomorrow. But it'll be great!

Anyways, Happy Halloween boys and ghouls!

From every mountainside...

When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect. -Adlai Stevenson

Let freedom ring! Happy Fourth!

2007 in Review

It's the time to do that, right?

Cliff and I are sitting here on the couch, Cearra and Mom next to us on the loveseat, and Marcus is upstairs playing his new wrestling game on Playstation. We're watching "Men in Black II", which seems to be Fox's New Year's Eve movie of choice this year. We just finished eating the second course of our traditional New Year's eve fare which includes steamed shrimp, crab dip, and then a midnight meal of pork roast, brown sugar sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes with sparkling grape/apple juice to bring in the new year.

I started thinking about 2008, which of course gets you thinking about 2007. It has been one of those years that just goes by and leaves you bewildered that it's the last day of it, you know?

So what does our year in review look like? Let me give this a try:

January: We got engaged! Cliff started working with SIFE at Belmont. Aaron moved to Nashville and became Cliff's roommate. I got my wisdom teeth taken out (and was swollen for a week after). We passed off our Homecoming crowns and went to our first symphony.

February: We started going to our Nearly/Newlywed's Sunday school class and began premarital counseling. I successfully completed a high intensity round of VUcept recruitment, applications, and interviews. Cliff started getting the SIFE team ready for regionals. We celebrated Valentine's at the WONDERFUL Restaurant Zola. We took up climbing!

March: We bought our kayaks! Belmont SIFE won regionals in Nashville and started getting in gear for Nationals.

April: I went to Orlando for the NASPA/ACPA joint conference. We spent Easter in Cleveland. Cliff started working at Lampo! I finished my first year of grad school and started my summer nannying job. Zach and Jody shot our engagement photos.

May: I began spending a couple of days a week with a darling boy named Jake. Cliff went to Dallas with Belmont SIFE who came back a top ten team in the nation. I celebrated my 23rd birthday! Molly and I took off for my first shower in Maryland.

June: We had our shower in Cleveland. Natalie and Ryan, and then Zach and Jody came with us to the lake. Cliff turned 24! We ate at The Melting Pot! I had my bridal portrait taken. Cearra came in for a week and we started her trip off at the lake.

July: The ladies threw a bachelorette party for me! We moved our stuff into the new apartment in Franklin and Cliff took up residence there. We went to the FPU reshoot. All of our families came into town for the big day. We recited our written vows in a tiny chapel in Nashville in the presence of friends and family, said our "I do's," and were pronounced man and wife! We celebrated with an awesome reception and then took off for our honeymoon in an undisclosed location. St. Lucia was awesome and seems like a dream. I officially became a Neeley and a resident of Tennessee!

August: I started back up at Vanderbilt, but in Student Campus Events. I also started my practicum at Belmont working part-time with SIFE. We started our FPU class.

September: We took some people from our Sunday school class to the lake for the weekend. Cliff and I went ice skating for his first time, ever!

October: We went to a Preds game for Cliff's first NHL game (where we happened to meet ice-skating great Scott Hamilton). Kanye at Quake. Our Get-away weekend at the lake and the UT-USC game. Dave's show on Fox Business Network premiered. Cliff participated in a rousing Spirit Week at work! I learned to shoot a gun.

November: We went to Atlanta with Cliff's team. We celebrated our third "dating" anniversary! We went to a Titans game for Cliff's first NFL game (Montell Jordan sang the national anthem!). We went to New York and Maryland for Thanksgiving and Cliff met my (now his!) amazing 93 year-old Great Grandma McCarthy.

December: We finished our thank you cards! We sent out our first Christmas cards and did all those other things that couples do when getting ready to celebrate their first Christmas together. Lampo had their INCREDIBLE Christmas party and we got a camcorder. We celebrated our first Christmas in Cleveland! We packed up the car and drove here to Virginia Beach to bring in the new year with the fam!

And next year? Oh my. If anything, Lord willing, I can tell you that I will graduate and get a job, doing what exactly? Your guess is as good as mine. Besides that, we'll keep learning how to love and serve both God and each other better, as well as do our best to take care of our health, our finances, our family, and our friends. Who knows, once I actually don't have homework I might actually start working on my book again. 2007 has been good to us, and I can only pray for God's continued presence and blessings in 2008.

We're hoping for a great 2008, both for you and for us!

By the Way

Cliff and I celebrated Valentine's Day early on Saturday evening, as a surprise, since I have class tonight. He picked me up and had a heart-shaped box of dark chocolate candies and a handwritten Valentine's letter waiting in the passenger seat. First stop was Hollywood 27 for the 7:15pm showing of "The Pursuit of Happyness". I was actually very impressed with the movie, despite it's agonizing build towards a triumph that you only get to see a glimpse of. I love, though, the strength of character that Will Smith pulled off and the interplay between real and character father and son. I give it an A-.

After the movie, Cliff surprised me yet again with a 9:45pm reservation (because you have to have one) at a new restaurant (well, new for us) called Restaurant Zola. Oh my goodness, amazing. It's near the corner of 29th (Vanderbilt side, not Centennial Park side) and the owner is also the head chef. Cliff and I ordered a chile shrimp tempura starter, a glass of red zinfadel, what they call their "seafood blt" for an entree, and two incredible desserts. I am a big fan of great seafood which is hard to find here in Nashville, and this place has got it down! The tempura was awesome, just a great mixture of flavors and the entree was a hit. The "blt" is really a filet of flounder between two bacon and corn cakes topped with a tomato sauce and brussel sprout slaw. The flounder was served with blackened scallops as well, mmm! For dessert we both got our own and shared; the dark chocolate torte had port wine and rasperry with a whipped topping and we also got a pumpkin cranberry bread pudding with maple pecan ice cream. OMG. This place was incredible and a perfect romantic ending to a wonderful early Valentine's celebration.

Tonight, I am cooking dinner (fajitas) for Cliff and Aaron and will attempt to bake one of Cliff's favorite desserts ever, the Pizookie.

Oh, the joy of Valentine's! Hope you have a great one, however it is spent.

A New Year Begins

We're nine days into the new year, and I can hardly believe it. I can hardly believe all that has taken place, too, in just month's time since I last wrote. The semester ended and I finished with all A's, Cliff and I went out to Park City and had a great time skiing and hanging out with Aaron (you can look at the pictures on my Flickr account if you'd like), I travelled home and spent much needed time with the family, celebrated the start of 2007 over the course of a few days with Casey and Sara, went for an overnight hike up to Big Frog Mountain and got engaged at the summit, celebrated with family, got my wisdom teeth taken out, and have spent the last two days recovering and lounging around Cliff and Aaron's new dorm-like apartment in Nashville.

Class starts tomorrow night, Belmont's Homecoming is Friday night, and life is only bound to get busier from here on out, with work, school, life, and a July 21, 2007 wedding to plan for. I can't complain though, especially when I am reminded of God's faithfulness and His sustaining care. I wrote today in my paper journal about the hope that this year would be one not bound by calendars and clocks, nor carelessly lived with no regard for others and for what is taking place beyond my own little world (no matter how exciting and consuming it may be sometimes). I am excited for what is to come, realizing that everything takes time and that most things turn out best when I am least in control.

I have been so blessed, truly. This year will be challenging and yet so rewarding as I venture into a new stage of life, of love, and of commitment - as I join with my family in preparing for an event that will start a lifetime of adventure, struggle, and joy with my partner in crime. We sat at the top of Big Frog just six days ago, with the sun setting behind us and the full moon rising in front of us, and I said yes a thousand times over to a question I had only ever dreamed of being asked. But I was and I am more thankful, I believe, than I let on sometimes... thankful to God's bringing us together and preparing a path for us to walk down together.