Who's a runner??? I AM!!!!!!

Okay, so i've been writing this blog in my head for the last day or so. I was pretty discouraged about my running. I was supposed to hit my 3 mile marker by March 11th. Yeah, that's in 2 weeks. So I should have moved on from my 2 mile marker. I tried a few times to make it past the 2 miles. Last Saturday, I made it to 2.15, but thought i was going to die. weak right?

I told Sarah, it's not mental for me that i'm not getting past the 2 miles, it's just so physically hard (yes, i'm serious). I am struggling the last 3/10. All these thoughts have been going thru my head 'oh my gosh, what if i have plateaued?? is 2 miles my plateau!? will i never make it past this point!?' (i can be slightly dramatic)

I was wandering online today on blogs of people i don't know, and read a few encouraging posts. not so much about running, but about meeting goals and pushing thru. Sarah ran 3.1 miles today, and i could barely stand it. This is her 2nd time to run 3 miles, and i'm still hanging around at 2??????

So today, I stretched more than I usually do, psyched myself up, and let myself warm up a few minutes more before starting the run. I decided to take it down 1/10 on my speed to see if that would make a difference. I figured i didn't mind running 30 seconds or so more if i felt better.

oh my gosh did i feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ran the whole time just breathing in and out thru my nose, feeling so in control, and not like i was going to die. I felt so focused, like i was going to conquer this 2 miles. (sidenote: Amy wrote on my fb wall that i was 'going to OWN the race' she was talking in reference to the 5K i am running in April and just registered for) I heard those words when i was running, and told myself i was going to OWN this run!! (thanks for the encouragement Amy!!)

Now for the most exciting news......I didn't just run 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, or even 3 miles today.

I RAN 3.25 MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went from 2.15 to 3.25!!!!! It took me just a few seconds longer, but i felt SOOOOOO good! I mean literally words cannot describe this feeling!!! Daniel was in shock as he ran next to me. He kept looking over waiting for me to stop, and i just kept going. Yes, i'm competitive and would not stop at 3.1, I HAD to beat Sarah.

Now i don't want to be all braggy or 'look at me,' i'm just excited and want to include you on my journey. I would have never thought i would run this long or far. Now i'm thinking, if i can do 3.25, what's to stop me from doing 4???

YAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm feeling SO good and loved that when i stopped my run i didn't feel like i was going to collapse. So i'll probably keep with the slower pace and see where it goes :)

I made Daniel take pics of me when we got home to 'capture the moment.' no  i don't care what i look like. i just ran 3.25 miles!!!!

 

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me, given running tips, ran beside me, called with motivating words, and just walking, i mean running, with me thru this!

love

laura

Appreciating Avatar

Okay, so I know everyone and their dog has seen Avatar at minimum one time. I'm probably late about talking about it, but oh well.

It impacted me. 

One thing i love about movies (and i LOVE movies), is that depending on where you're coming from in life, or your personality, or what happened 2 minutes before you sat down to watch the movie....we're all going to view the same thing a little differently.

Daniel and I went to see Avatar last friday nite. Both our first 3D movie. First, I was a little concerned about the glasses.....i mean, the person before me could have had swine flu, or worse, not washed their hands after their last trip to the bathroom....EWWWW GROSS!!! (i don't believe in washing your hands too much)

Also, i thought the glasses were going to be the cardboard red and white things that remind me of a cracker jack box. these weren't like that. these reminded me of what my mom wore as sunglasses when i was in jr high. i used to put them on when we picked up Sarah at high school and act like a dork on purpose, just to embarrass her. ahhhhh, memories!!

After I cleaned my glasses off as best i could and overdramatized it for Daniel, i settled in and waited ever so excitedly for it to start. We were really surprised to see how full the theater was since it had been out for a while. But because i'm ocd about the movies, we were in our seats with about 30 minutes to spare. There is nothing worse than walking into the movies and having to sit on the front row or on the side. i mean...why even go??? When people plan the movies with me and the movie starts at 7, i want to meet at least by 6:15. What if there's a line for tickets? a line at the snack counter? good grief, the person i'm meeting could be...dare we say it.....late?!?!?!

SO, the movie started and it took me a few minutes to adjust. It was just so much to take in! And of course i like to try and figure out everything about what is going on and where this is headed while the beginning credits are going. If i'm still unsure, i lean over to Daniel (or whoever got suckered into sitting next to me) and ask them. Depending on the movie i'm either a constant movie talker, (more of a movie question asker), or dead silent. It depends on my mood.

Sorry, back to the movie......

....Jake (main character guy) first starts entering the 'local' world (i say local because he is on their turf, he's the foreigner) and attempts to learn the way of the the Na'vi. I was FASCINATED!!! When Neytiri (Jake's girlfriend) started to teach him their language, i had to fight back the tears.

 (I literally told myself to get a grip, because i didn't want to bawl so early in the movie)

But she's teaching him some word in her local language, and he doesn't say it exactly right, so she keeps saying it and correcting him. Ummmmm....can we say flashbacks to language learning overseas??? I instantly went in my mind to my language tutor i had almost 2 years ago. There was one sound i couldn't say perfectly correct to save my life. We eventually moved on, blamed it on me being white, and honestly she had done all she could do with me  :)

One thing i love about Avatar was how it could be a picture of sharing cross-culturally.

(ok, i really don't want to be one of those people who has movie watching parties so we can all diagnose and find hidden theological themes in a movie that the writer had no intention of).

However, if you've ever worked with people who are have known nothing but their culture and have never heard of HIM, then this movies makes so much sense. The Na'vi have their own language, their own religion, and don't desire anything else. They don't even realize there could be something (or someone) else to believe in. It surprises me how some people try to share cross culturally by forcing other people groups to believe that they have been wrong their whole lives and need to change all that they've known. True, they may be following a false deity or religion, but it's ALL they've known. They don't need someone yelling at them and trying to show them their flaw in their belief system. They need HIM. They need to be loved.

Totally immersing yourself in a foreign (to you) cultural is fun, frustrating, hard, and joyful. It can be fun to learn that a handshake in our culture is repulsive or forbidden in another. Or when you ask for more tea-both hands are involved, it's not okay to just use one. who knew right? 

Another reason why i teared up is that you could sense that Jake was enjoying being with the Na'vi. He wanted to be there over anywhere else. He came to love them and long to protect them. What a beautiful picture of how we as believers can immerse ourselves in another culture and language, loving the locals in a way that tears us apart when we're not there.

I don't want to make everything deeper than maybe it was meant to be, this is just what i took from the movie.

On a lighter note, the colors were amazing. And amazing doesn't even say it right. The visual effects were mind blowingly beautiful. (i think the movie is a combo of Ferngully and Jurassic Park). Do ya'll remember Ferngully?? i think i was in 4th or 5th grade. 

that's all for now...would love to know ya'lls thoughts!

love

laura

weekend rewind

This weekend was great! It brought time to relax, have fun, and go shopping!


Daniel and I had our 'date nite' on Friday. We went to Outback-SO good! Then we went to see Avatar at the IMAX. Avatar is a separate blog in itself. The 3D was beyond words, and the movie....WOW! we're both dying to see it again. Of course, Daniel and i talked non-stop after the movie, trying to analyze and figure things out. I actually teared up at one point-but again that's another post, coming soon.

(here's a peek of what we looked like)

Friday was a 'late' night, since we didn't go to bed till 11. pm. yes, 11pm. we like to live on the edge.

Saturday we ventured to the mall for Auntie Anne's free pretzel day (after working out of course!) and to get some clothes for me. I usually like to go shopping. However, if you're short like me, it can be a challenge. It really bothers me that stores have 'regular' lengths in the stores and all the petites online. how can i try them on if it's only online? or should short people be penelized to pay more in shipping and return costs? grrr!

this is my confused face. because i don't understand why stores think we were all born the same height.

For those of you who don't know, Daniel is outdoorsy. He has all the gear-tents, bags, ropes, clothing, fire-starters, knives (a lot of knives) and a lot of stuff that i have no idea what it's for. But i appreciate that he is always prepared. i know when we're parents, i'll be sending the kids to him, bc he'll be the one with the bandaid. I bought Daniel a knot book last year, and some of Saturday was spent learning to tie knots. Daniel learned, I watched.

Saturday i tried the Broccoli Cheese Frittata. remember, the one where you put the skillet in the oven? 
which i still think is weird. but it worked. I think i messed up on how i did the broccoli, but it was tasty and i later found out, SO low cal. yay!

I'll def make this again, but add more to it. Maybe sausage, peppers, or more eggs......i like that it's flexible.

THEN...tonight, I made stuffed peppers in the crock pot. We both love bell pepper. So I wanted to surprise Daniel with this meal, cos i was reallly hoping he'd like it. Hiding a meal from him was hard, so i made Daniel sit in the other room.  :)  it's basically meat, cheese, rice, onion, and tomatoes in bell pepper. yum :)

Before:

After:

We're now watching Amazing Race and getting ready for the Monday. hope everyone had a good weekend!!

love

laura

a little bit of everything

SO...in less than 3 hours it will officially be the weekend for me and Daniel! yay!! we both feel like this has been a really long week. It's been a great week, just LONG.

We're going to see Avatar 3D at the IMAX tonight!!! SO excited, it's both our first 3D movie. We're also having dinner out and labeling tonight as 'date night.' i've always heard married people say that date nights come and go with no dates bc life is too busy.

I've noticed that even though we've only been married 3 months and don't have kids, it's still hard to be intentional. But i guess that's the key....intentional.

I'm not sure if this will make sense but here goes:

While Daniel and i 'dated' for about 8 months before getting engaged, our first date was 7 months into our relationship. We were both living overseas and things just needed to look different during that time. We were also long distance for most of it. I think that is why dates are important to me. They're something i put high importance on. I value them. I still appreciate the fact that we are no longer long distance, and that we don't have real boundaries on time with one another. it's still a new freedom that i'm realizing we have. I still feel like Daniel and i are dating at times. There are SO many things we've never done as a couple. It's fun to experience things that people usually do while they're dating, and we're doing a few months into our marriage. I'm grateful that i can publicly walk hand in hand with Daniel. I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness when i look back on our story, and realize there's still so much more!

Here's a pic from our first date! Daniel made us a picnic lunch (enough food for a small army). We went for a bike ride through the mountains, and we both got flat tires on the way home. It was perfect!

So back to weekend plans :)

 (sidenote, i had no idea this post was going to go where it did...as i process life, ya'll get snippets of my thoughts thru the blog)

Tomorrow Daniel is going to teach me more about his online study tools that he uses. I love the Greek/Hebrew meanings in the Bible, and would love to know more about how to find original meanings, stuff like that.

We're also going shopping! I feel like i haven't shopped in a really long time. (Yes, we are still sticking with the Dave Ramsey plan.) What's interesting is that Daniel and I are both enablers. When one of us wants something, the other person encourages the other to buy it.

We say things like 'well, you don't have that color yet, it looks great on you (translation=buy it!), or you've been wanting this for a long time, of course you should buy it.' At least we know that about ourselves, so the person buying usually has to exert more will power to say no than the enabling tagalong.

(speaking of tagalongs, those are my FAVE girl scout cookies!)

I'm making a broccoli cheese frittata tomorrow night. I've never made one, and am interested to see how it turns out. The recipe says to put the skillet in the oven.

Weird, right? i've seen cooks do this on tv, but it freaks me out for some reason. I mean, isn't that why we have Pyrex??

Anyways, i'll try it and hopefully survive. (the reason it scares me to put a skillet in the oven, is i'm extremely afraid of fire....and this is a fire waiting to happen in my mind)

Any spare moment this weekend, will of course be spent watching the Olympics!!!!

Happy weekend everyone! I hope i haven't confused you :)

love

laura

COFFEE

this is random....

SO..Daniel and I were visiting some friends in Washington last summer, and our friend made me some of the best coffee i've ever had. He had an Aeropress. It's this cool and EASY way to make coffee. You are basically making espresso shots, and then choosing to make regular coffee, espresso, latte......etc...

You basically fill the tube thing with a couple of scoops of coffee (i prefer 3 per mug but i like STRONG coffee). Then you add water, stir, and push down. It makes the coffee that quickly!!! Then you just add hot water to your mug and enjoy!

Daniel bought me my very own Aeropress for our 1 year dating anniversary.

(sidenote, i now feel the need to always clarify if it's a dating or married anniversary, idk why).

Our friend makes several espresso shots at once, and keeps them in the refrigerator. That way, you just add hot water and have as much (or little) coffee as you want. I haven't done this yet, i still just make it every day. And it takes less than a minute. And it's SOOOO easy to clean.

Remember: less than a minute to make, and about 10 seconds to clean. i know....where has this been all your life :) And it's pretty inexpensive, i think it was $25 on Amazon.

Random:

-it's still cold here. The wind chill is in the teens, and the temp's are in the 20's......

-the OLYMPICS are on!!!!

-When I first met Daniel, he was worried we wouldn't be able to be friends because of our differences, ha!

-i once climbed an active volcano in the dark

-i've always wanted to have a t-shirt that says 'STAFF' on the back.....don't ask me why. i think i thought it would make me cool or something....

love

laura

weekend rewind-play by play edition

i don't even want to talk about it.

Not Valentine's...but the Olympics.

Okay, so you already know that we go to bed early. For me to stay up past 9 takes effort or caffeine. So when i'm getting all excited about the Opening ceremonies, i didn't take time into consideration, because i thought the thrill alone would keep me awake.

hardly.

First, Daniel and I were right in front of the tv at 6:30pm sharp friday night, like we were supposed to be.

(after eating our Zuppa Toscana soup!) mmmmmm

 We didn't realize there was an hour and half of coverage before they actually started!!! After the teams walked in i laid on the couch till 10 with my eyes closed. I claimed i was 'listening' to it. I was SO determined to stay up till the torch was lit. But after fighting sleep for an hour, i just went to bed. When Daniel came to bed later i asked who lit the torch, but fell back asleep before he could answer.

So friday did not live up to my expectations. Saturday and Sunday EXCEEDED them!!!

sidenote: I did wake up on Fri to a card made by Daniel, asking me to be his Valentine!! (i said yes)

Saturday  nite we had a SS party for church. We don't really know anyone, so we were excited about having a chance to mingle outside of SS. We had the best time!!!! We went to a couple's house for dinner (which was decorated with flowers, decorations, and fine china!). We really enjoyed getting to know the other people in our class and learning more about their story.

Sunday...

We woke up and it was snowing. This was not in the forecast nor was it expected. But by the time we left for church, there was a nice covering of white stuff all over.

It was also V-day (and our 3 month anniversary!)

Daniel made me breakfast-scrambled eggs w/ cheese and toast! yummmy!!!

We had leftovers after church on Sunday, but used the fine china and lit every candle in the world to make it romantic :)

Sunday afternoon I lounged on the couch complaining that the only thing on was the Biathalon. Daniel and I agree that this is a competition...not so sure if it qualifies as an Olympic sport in our mind.....

We exchanged presents (we're on a budget, so we got small gifts). I got Burt Bee's calming leg and foot lotion (since my legs are now sore from learning to be a runner!!!) and a couple of new lip balms i've been wanting. I gave Daniel a tracker book he wanted and The Economist mag.

(ok don't let the double chin throw you, Daniel isn't chubby)

Ok, so the good part....DINNER!
We went to a local Indian restaurant, which we both l.o.v.e. LOVE!!! We had samosa's (not mimosa's), wine, tandori chicken, chicken tikka, dal, naan, lamb, and some potato stuff that i can never remember the name of.

can we say 'delicious?' 

I know it sounds like a lot of food, but we had no problem cleaning our plates!!!

THEN we got home and Daniel had more surprises!! He made me dessert- Valentine Tarts. Ummmmmm......probably my new fave dessert, which is saying a lot!!! Words can't describe the delight my tastebuds received from devouring the yumminess!

it's like a choclately pudding goodness, with whip cream, strawberry, and yes, you do see chocolate lace!

THEN....Daniel got out his guitar and sang me a new song he had written for me. (Daniel has written me 2 songs before for our 5 month dating anniversary.) OF COURSE...i cried :) It was the perfect way to end the day :)

Is it weird that i post about almost every meal i eat?? i think i just want the blogworld to feel involved...hmmmm


love
laura

I want to keep going...

Okay, so i feel like i've been on this journey the last month and a half and i'm just now letting you all in on it.


So here's what happened:


December 29th, I was bored so I was thinking of mini projects for myself. Anything that involves planning, goals, and competition-I'm there! So I was thinking about my fave show, TBL, and didn't understand how people who weigh 3-400 pounds could run on the treadmill longer and faster than me. I also have a friend, Amy, who is a runner and she makes it sound so fun! But running was in my impossible category.


So I decided 2010 would be the year I become a runner!! (I mean, China has the year of the tiger right?) I declare 2010 to be the year of the runner!


Now running has never come easy to me....I have always disliked it. Mostly bc i've never really pursued it, and when forced, I sucked at it. But i figured if it took me a year in the gym, surely I could run a mile on the treadmill!!


Don't get me wrong, I love working out...I can elypticize like none other. But for some reason, when it came to running, I could never do more than 3 minutes (on a good day). So this was a HUGE deal to me.


I decided to set some small, measurable goals, wrote them down, and told them to Sarah and Daniel. I keep a calendar at work that i write how many minutes i run on it. It's been so cool to see me go from 5, 6, 8.5, 9, 10,...Then i started writing how far i was running. I hit my first mile on January 7th (Sarah's birthday)!!!! I can't even describe the feelings that came over me when i finished it.


Keep in mind the last time i ran a mile without stopping was  7th grade PE (ugh). Sooooooo... about 15 years ago. Really??? i know......but we all have to start somewhere :)


I ran 20 minutes this past monday. Something i honestly could never even imagined. Yesterday, February 11th, I ran 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping. Wait, let me say that again.... I ran 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping!  Yes, I do still believe in miracles!! ha


Sarah, Daniel and I are running our first 5k the end of April. Sarah has been a constant encouragement to me, spurring me on, and believing in me non stop. The first few times i ever ran i could hear her voice telling me that she knew i could do it (ok, i need a tissue now)
Now this might sound weird, but I NEED Daniel to run next to me. When he is on another machine or not there, I never run as well. But if he's just next to me, then I feel like i can keep going. And he's always the first one to congratulate me when i'm done.


Let's be honest, i don't consider myself a real runner yet. (but i def want the runner body soon!) But who's to say that at the end  of this 2010, I won't be in the runner category? That thought thrills me!!! The thought of running 10 miles at once seems impossible. It seems far away. And it isn't necessarily my goal, but I really want to keep adding to my time and distance.


I want to keep going.


love
laura

2 MILES!!!!!!!!!  2 MILES!!!!!!

(details coming soon)

Weekend Rewind

We're old. So old in fact, that we go to bed by 10 (10:30 if we're pushing it) on Friday nites and getting up at 8 is 'sleeping in.' i'm assuming we did something on friday, but it seems so long ago i can't remember what it was.


(after asking Daniel, I remember)


We had tacos and watched Pearl Harbor. I bought a copy of it while overseas, and apparently had the directors cut which includes VERY graphic scenes. This is one of my fave movies, so i knew it pretty well. But when I was closing my eyes from the gore, i knew something was up. A small google search later and i discovered it. Just not sure what to do now....


Saturday was a day of cleaning, some rest, and having friends over for dinner. Daniel also fixed our vacuum. I thought it needed a new bag (after it started smoking so bad the last time i used it and nearly caught on fire). But the belt was actually broken, so Daniel willingly went and bought a new belt and fixed it. This is another moment that i'm glad to have Daniel in my life. Because if it were up to me, i would've thought the vacuum was a complete loss or complained to some poor customer service person who didn't deserve my wrath.


We had friends over for dinner Sat nite and had a great time. Our friends are soon to be married, which is fun for us, because we were in their shoes just a few months ago. So of course we passed on our wisdom and ways we have perfected our own marriage. (HA!)


Note: if you're not someone who is REALLY close to me, i go into panic mode before hosting anyone. I clean like i've never cleaned before (while Daniel helps but is still confused on why the remote control needs to be antibacterialized), and i think that people will obviously notice if  there is a crumb on the floor or a book out of place.


weird, i know. but this is who i am.


I will also hyperventilate if the food does not go as planned. When I accidentally mixed up one of the layers on the lasagna on Sat night, our house was declared in a state of emergency. If you think i'm kidding, ask Daniel. Bless him for even choosing to be around me while i am like this. :)


* the lasagna still turned out great, who knew*


Sunday, we had an AMAZING time at church. From Sunday school (i still call it this, even though most churches now have a special name instead) to big church (it will always be big church to me), there was conviction, guilt, peace, redemption, growth, and my favorite, worship.


2 girls at church sang a Barlow Girl song, "You Led me" which i've never heard before but still cannot get out of my head. I LOVE IT!!!! I think it's kind of old, but i've never really listened to Barlow Girl, so all of their songs are new to me.


 Sunday was definitely one of those pivotal days for me. not just a good time at church where i felt fuzzy and warm or my favorite songs were played, but one of those times where you know you'll remember that service for many days to come.


Most of Sunday afternoon was spent in preparation for the Super Bowl! But i got so busy baking and cooking, that i missed most of what happened.
First: we had homemade hummus with garlic naan. SO good. I added extra paprika for a little bit of a kick.

 THEN, we had pizza! when we make pizza we put about 10 pounds of toppings on it. I mean, can you really eat too much bell pepper? we don't think so either. Daniel won't eat black olives, so i just put them on my side :)

To finish it off, we had White Almond Wedding Cake. I even took store bought frosting and put my own twist to it (added powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract). Watch out Martha Stewart.

I kind of feel like my new interest in cooking/baking is a little late.  i wish i'd started learning these things sooner. i have new appreciation for people who whip up things from scratch or know how to improve or fix recipes on their own just from experience or know-how. A few months ago, when i was really exploring cooking for the first time, I had my phone glued to my ear as i pestered Sarah with non-stop questions. She joked she was going to start charging me. luckily, i haven't received that bill yet.

This week has been good so far, running errands, working out, cooking dinner, watching TBL...

Randomness:

- I've mentioned it before, but not sure people really understand, we are REALLLLLLY excited about the Olympics. We will be glued to our TV for the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, and most likely every night after that for 2 weeks.

- it's still extremely cold here...yesterday the wind chill was 5 degrees on the way to work.....i'm so ready for the spring so we can ride our bikes outside!

-Daniel taught me how to ride a bike (apparently you CAN forget between the age of 11 and 26)
-I've never been to Disney World or New York, but i'm dying to go

love
laura

Home sweet Home

Welcome!!

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now. My family lives in Texas and i wanted to show them what our home looks like. I also dedicate this post to my sister, Sarah, who has been nagging me about this for a while :)


Come on in:  

Below: i stole (i mean 'borrowed') the blue chair from my parents....

Below: Daniel and I bought this rug together the day after we got engaged...we call it our marriage rug :)

Below: We just got the painting on the right from Caroline for our wedding/Christmas present. We love the colors!! We're in the process of hanging it :) (washer and dryer on right)

Below: Caroline also painted the red flowers, we have gotten SO many compliments on this painting!

Below: closet on left (opposite bookcase) holds our bikes, vacuum and shoes.

The guest room- the huge sword is the wedding present I gave to Daniel when we were married this past November. I gave it to him to represent that he is the protector and fighter for our family.

We also use the guest room for all the extra stuff that hasn't found it's home yet...

Below: the guest bathroom

Below: our wedding cake topper and vases from Bangkok that Daniel gave to me for Valentine's  last year

Below: this is our bedroom...off the side of the dining room

Below: our bathroom!

There ya go! Hope you enjoyed!!! I'll be posting about our weekend soon including pics of all the food i made.

******* Daniel has a blog!!!!!!! We're actually sitting next to each other right now blogging together. sometimes we're so cute i can't stand it, hahaahhahahha!

love

laura

finances & football

So here's a quick recap of the last few days......though honestly i don't feel like i have much to write about. nonetheless.....

We headed back to work on Monday after missing friday because of ice and snow. The main roads were okay, but still a lot of ice by our house. The last few days we've seen icicles melting and snow slush everywhere.

i don't like snow slush.

It gets my pants dirty and wet along with my shoes. I wanted to wear my cute little black flats yesterday to work, so i wore my big brown shoes to the car, then switched once we got to work. of course not wearing socks made me freeze the whole day. ohhhhh the price of vanity!

Last night i made my FIRST roast using our crock pot. Also my first time to ever use a crock pot. My mom does this all the time, but when i was single, i never found the need to cook that much food for one person. now i have a male living with me, there is reason to cook more food! Also, roast, potatos, and carrots is my FAVE homecooked meal. it was also the last meal i had before moving overseas.

(this isn't my personal pic, but just to give you an idea and start your mouth watering)

We also invited our friend Jason over to share our pot roast experience. Let's just say i rock my own world. it was SO easy to make and delicious!! When Daniel told me dinner was good, i looked at him, and was like 'obviously'. hahahahaahahah I don't take credit really, but i like to pretend i slaved all day for that yummy meal. i just put roast, potatoes and carrots in with onion soup mix and water and let it do its thing for a few hours while i was at work. i'm so ready for tonight's leftovers!!

So what's going on in our lives??? Well, if you've noticed, i added a new book to my reading list. We are about halfway through reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.

Mike (my brother in law) bought me this for my birthday, because Mike is obsessed with budgeting and saving-in a good way. This book is definitely in my top gifts ever list. Daniel and I are trying the monthly budget and envelope system for the first time this month. What's crazy, is that we both thought we were doing good. i mean, we didn't consider ourselves big spenders or ignorant on our financial state. BUT, after reading just a few chapters (and tearing up a few times-the success stories are amazing!), we both knew this book was for us. It's weird now. I tell Daniel all the time that i'm learning the value of a dollar. haha! I never realized how many little purchases i make without thinking about it-just because we have a few bucks in the bank. But it's also cool to feel in control of where our money goes. we're both pretty excited to see what happens. it's surprisingly fun!

I know that talking about money and finances can be a little hard for some people and awkward. i really hesitated about blogging about this, because i know it can be weird for some people. but i don't want you to see a blog about me that isn't really ME. i didn't want to have a secret blogger identity or anything :)

but don't get me wrong-i would never walk up to you and ask what your bank account balance is or how much you spend on eating out.....but i think it's safe to say Daniel and I both have Dave Ramsey fever.....so i might babble nonstop about what we've been learning and you can take what you want :) i know a few people who have used the DR plan and have done amazing things. i would love to hear your story!

p.s. We take turns reading the book out loud to each other-so fun!

Not sure if i'll blog again before Sunday.....but i am way excited about the superbowl.

Since the Packers are out, there's not a team that i'm dying to cheer for (but we're both going for the Saints). so if i can't rev myself up about who's playing, i might as well make yummy food to enjoy while we watch. I'm making homemade hummus (for the first time),  pizza, and a recipe i found for white almond wedding cake. i can't wait!!!