on marriage...

we have been reading a Tim Keller book on marriage. it's pretty amazing how this guy takes some deep stuff and states it plainly on a level that's so easy to understand.

"Because its not the Love that sustains the Promise, its the Promise that sustains the Love."

choosing love.

Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

C.S. Lewis

promises.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes, I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land."

Jeremiah 29:11-14, NLT

from Isaiah chapter 9

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be up on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

"Not subjective wishful thinking but an objective, surprising joy breaking upon sinners through the grace of Christ."

from Isaiah chapter 8

"But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary...."

"The holy God, who is the sanctuary for frightened human beings, is also the snare for those who do not fear Him. Judah and Jerusalem wring their hands over surface-level crises with little awareness of the grandeur of God. By disregarding God, they find him to be an obstacle they cannot evade."

today i love...

that i enjoyed quality time with husband and dachshund.

the fact that i got four loads of laundry done, ran to get groceries, cleaned our apartment, made tim's oatmeal for the week, and will cook some red meat tomorrow.

that i am going home in a few weeks to see my loved ones!

caramel apples. i can only find them at walgreens. and i'm aware that doesn't necessarily mean high quality. but they're all i've been dreaming of!!!

the fact that i feel like updating the blog.

i discovered pear juice. (medicinal purposes only, people.) and it is amazing.

i get to meet with my lovely mentor pam on thursday. she is coming here. we are sharing tea.

that i keep seeing God move and at work in my life.

that i've reached a point where i fear God, yet accept grace.

we get to move into our new condo in 2 months! (more on that later)

february is looking awful bright.

that i get 3 days off this week!

we'll be trying a barbeque place with some new friends on sunday...

i get to go to life group on sunday....

the windows have been open ALL DAY.

it totally felt like fall today. the sun was in & out and when it was overcast, it was beautiful too.

the sunset is making these clouds look crazy breathtaking.

i read harry potter for 2 hours, took a nap, then woke up to make my husband cinnamon sugar toast because his tummy hurt.

that i got to nurture the husband.

being content.

a list of good things.

1) Yesterday I made the best mashed potatoes. Now, they weren't restaurant style or anything, but they were a favorite that I have made. I have searched far and wide for a good mashed potato recipe, and the one that I threw together last night with red potatoes was by far the best. I didn't measure or anything... and they were awesome :) This is very helpful to a cook who has low kitchen self esteem. I'm normally checking recipes obsessively and frequently messing up our dinners. (ie: I forget we need rice or that pasta water takes quite awhile to boil so we have to wait an extra half an hour or we go without) The Internet has been a great resource for me in learning how to chop and cook, but sometimes I can go at it alone!

2) Julie's positivity. So proud of that girl. :)

3) My lovely mom and dad in law will be coming up this weekend just for a Sunday afternoon visit. Our schedules are impossible to coordinate sometimes, and I was thankful that my Sunday off and Tim's Sunday off happened to be together! They are taking us out for lunch and I can't wait to visit with two of my favorite people.

4) Fruit Salad! I'm sorry I'm still lame with the picture posting... I really can't stand doing it on Tim's laptop and his laptop is often not home.... plus, I'll admit, I feel silly taking pictures of things like fruit salad and mashed potatoes. hehe Anyway, Amber got us started with making fruit salads and whenever we can find some good fruit on sale, we go crazy. I found a huge carton of California strawberries for just $4 at the grocery store the other day, along with buy one, get one free ripe blueberries. We picked up a couple of kiwi from whole foods and some canned peaches and I make a snack that makes me thank God for berries being in season. It's so pretty and so fresh, which brings a summer smile to my face. :) p.s. I am headed to the grocery store now to see if the strawberries are still there so I can buy some more!

5) Just got a text from my sister last night saying that she and my mom were going to try and visit the weekend of the 5th, which just happens to be the weekend after my birthday! With my work schedule having me so down in the dumps these past couple of weeks, I am hoping that I'll be able to make this work... if it works out, I'll have something huge to look forward to!

6) I saw all of Lacey's wedding pictures and they are awesome! Especially the ones of she and Andy together after the ceremony. Those two have some envious photo chemistry together. So happy for her :)

7) I rediscovered teavana's arcadian apple iced tea this morning. I mourn the loss of that tea, but plan on enjoying the rest of my stash this summer before it loses its perfect flavor. Teavana reminds me of all sorts of beautiful times with friends and my mom and summertime is my favorite time to enjoy it!

dear husband,

this past week or so you have been an absolute saint.

thank you for discovering my new favorite place to walk by the lake

with the peaceful path overgrown with all sorts of wildflowers,

skimming past the gorgeous lake and the fort sheridan cemetery,

where i am overwhelmed with emotion for the sacrifices so many have made.

thank you for going out of your way to be my egg sandwich chef.

even after a long 10 hour day yesterday, you insisted on crafting the

best. sandwich. ever.

i don't know how you do it, but it's always amazing.

thank you for discovering our new favorite thai place in chicago

it reminds me of jasmine, which reminds me of home.

thanks for loving me even when i complained

all through our lunch date the other day.

you told me to go home and take a nap

"number one priority."

and didn't chastise me once for my cranky nature.

you just knew i needed something and was patient with me until i got it.

thanks for doing the dishes the other day.

i'd put them off for about 3 days straight.

coming home to a clean sink always speaks to a love language

(my high maintenance, one of many ;D)

as always, thank you for being a man that i compare all other men to

you give all you have to provide for your family

your integrity inspires me daily.

bottom line, i love you.

thanks for putting up with me.

relief.

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they existed and were created.

Rev 4:11

truth.

"Where the future becomes hopeless,

the present becomes merciless."

Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz

i just saw this posted on facebook.

this is why i love facebook.

isaiah 41:10

fear not for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous hand.

bdpphoto.com

want to see a preview of sister's wedding pictures?

go here

amazing, right?!

so cool that we grew up knowing the photographer

and that he is an awesome guy

with an incredible talent.

can you spot the moment where gabrijel and i were making each other laugh over our fake laughs? out of control.

also, great picture taken of me and the soul mate

♥

focus.

facebook friends frequently share Scripture and quotes via status updates.

some days i am beyond thankful for these uplifting and realigning reminders.

today, amber's mom shared this:

the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you:

he will never leave you or forsake you.

do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

LISTEN...

if you want a realllllly good homemade salad dressing,

check out this post

okay, this is seriously the best salad dressing i have EVER. HAD.

i do everything she says,

except for the onion and avocado

i'm sure it's delicious....

i just haven't done it yet.

anyway, tonight i whipped this dressing up and then smothered it all over some red leaf lettuce. tim had 3/4 of a bowl of salad... and i had well over half a head of red leaf lettuce. i could not stop. needless to say, it knocks most dishes i cook out of the water... steals the show, i tell you! :) that's all for tonight. i just had to share my salad joy with you all.

happy saturday...

while i'm at it...

how about some birthday pictures?

for his birthday, tim wanted some chacos and to take a trip into the city to see a free concert in Millenium Park. our original intent was to eat at a mediterranean grill called Roti, but it was closed for Memorial Day.

(this is just our luck... we never check to see if things are open on important days... last year on tim's birthday we drove around to 5 different places trying to find a place open for his birthday dinner... same for mine last year too... although i can't remember why...)

sooo, we ended up eating at Giordarnos, which I was not that excited about. It was hot that day. Deep dish pizza and hot do not go together for me, but after a little pouting I realized I was being ridiculous and kind of enjoyed my food. ;)

the biggest highlight for me, aside from the city and my man, was Intelligentsia. this place has been recommended to me by many people and i now personally know why!

best (and possibly ugliest) shoes ever made, in my opinion :)

justin townes earle

this was who we came to see...

we were disappointed that there was no band at first, but it ended up being a great performance!

this band opened for justin townes earle. i am terrible for not knowing their name, i know. they were a hoot!

the lead singer is from chicago, and his daughter sat a few chairs down from us... he was hilarious!

the god of thunder.

last saturday, tim and i took nash over to andy and lacey's apartment to meet our nephew thor for the first time ever. andy cooked us french toast and baked bacon (bake it on parchment paper for 15-20 minutes at 425... mind blowing, i tell ya), we celebrated tim's 28th birthday, and enjoyed the company of our kids :) here are just a few photos from our morning.

by: lacey

take one attempt. couldn't resist posting... look how thor struggles :)

my little poser :)

love these plates... sister has the best taste!

yea. i'm awesome.

nash doing his best to get away from thor. here he was fussing at all of us for such an injustice.

the rest to come via facebook.

this morning...

stolen from the soul mate:

"The surest way of spoiling a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction."

C.S. Lewis

spent the morning with Amber & Nora.

we had some Red Mango (duh).

went for a walk

and definitely enjoyed each other's company.

i commit to blogging more for the sake of

wanting her to blog as much as possible.

i will miss the Clements family dearly

and look forward to keeping up on their lives

and of course Nora's adventures. :)

i will copy some adjectives i posted on facebook,

attributes I admire deeply in Amber.

she has challenged me, helped me, and inspired me to be better

beautiful, kind, inspiring, gentle, generous, loving, full of life, and a great friend!

cannot wait for a Michigan visit.

much love to you, friend.

fitz and the tantrums

ceremony.

i've been meaning to share this with you for awhile. gabrijel, one of my sister's bridesmen, took a picture of my sister's ceremony site the day of the rehearsal. i know you've been able to see bits and pieces of the wedding so far via the facebook pics that are already up, but this is a wedding photo i believe you have yet to see!

isn't it magical??

of course, this is just a blackberry photo...

but you get the idea!!

:)

mega dose of cute.

a co worker of mine showed me this at work the other day....

it's the cutest thing i've ever seen!!!!!