Last Trip in America.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to go on a little family vacay to St. Louis to spend some time with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, and Grandma. David was going to be in Arizona performing at a conference for a couple of days, so I thought "Why not take a little trip with the fam before I leave!"

I used to go to St. Louis EVERY summer to spend a couple weeks with my grandma when I was little, but I haven't been in probably 8+ years, so it was great to visit there again!



It was a such a fun trip and so nice to be able to spend time with family that I don't see very often. I already miss them and I am so sad I am going to miss out on a fall break Branson trip, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with them.

Good thing we have Skype.

20 more days.

Official.

We have plane tickets.
We are officially leaving the country on Sept. 14th and coming back on Jan. 11th.
Wow, it's really happening.

Check out that 14 hour flight...whoo!, that'll be a doozy.

I know that God has great things in store for us while we are in the Philippines because the devil is doing everything he can right now to get our spirits down.

Irrational thoughts and fears, a broken laptop screen, not getting the full funding we originally budgeted, etc.

This verse has really helped calm me this past week.



If God is for me, who can be against me?

Some prayer requests:
-Pray that we receive the funding we need
-Pray that the devil flees from us as we prepare for this journey
-Pray for peace
-Most importantly, pray that we can touch as many lives as possible during our time there and that God's will is accomplished.

Birthday Update

Remember this list I made on my birthday last year?

Well now is the time to find out if I actually did any of it...

1.)Go on a cruise.
-We sure did and it was fabulous!

2.)Audition for a community theatre show...and make it.
-Auditioned...still workin on the makin it part...

3.)Go on 22 friend dates with 22 different people.
-I didn't actually keep track of this (or any of the others really), but I'm pretty sure this was accomplished. I think I've done pretty well at staying connected with all my friends even though I'm an old married woman.

4.)Write 22 random notes of encouragement.
-Do Christmas cards count?

5.)Read 22 books.
- I think I read about 15. I wish I could have read more. I plan on making up for this while I'm in the Philippines.

6.)Learn how to knit.
-Never even tried. Fail.

7.)Cook 22 meals from scratch.
-I totally did this! I have become somewhat decent at cooking...as long as I have a VERY detailed recipe.

8.)Watch the sunrise.
-I never did this intentionally, but I plan to once I am on the Filipino beach.

9.)Sew myself a beautiful dress.
-Ha, that was a joke.

10.)Sing Karaoke at a Karaoke bar
-I sang Karaoke at a bar on our cruise and it was great. I will definitely do it again. Nothing is better than having a bunch of drunk people think you are a superstar.

11.)Run in a marathon
-Ugh, this is probably my biggest regret, but I have been building my stamina back up and you better believe I'm signing up for one in the spring.

12.)Make 22 crafts.
-I probably did this in one week of student teaching. Early Childhood Education is craft central. I just wish I would have make more cutesy things for our apt. But, thanks to pinterest, I have some future crafty ideas for our humble abode.

13.)Visit 22 places in Oklahoma I've never been to.
- I counted up most all of the ones I could remember and it was over 30. Most of them were restaurants, but hey, that counts!

14.)Spend 22 minutes with God daily.
-Ok, I take back saying that the marathon was my biggest regret. I would like to say I kept this up every day...but I am not perfect. I do feel like my faith has grown immensely this last year though and for that I am thankful.

15.)Be a Vegetarian for 22 days
- I totally forgot about this one! I still plan on trying it sometime.

16.)Learn how to play piano.
- I am no master, but I did practice and I can play about half of "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles. I'd say that's an accomplishment.

17.)Go camping with David in our new tent.
-The weather has been way too intense for this. Maybe next year.

18.)Watch the top 22 movies on the 100 greatest movies of all time list.
-Dang it, I forgot about this one too! I am a complete failure.

19.) Make an engagement/wedding/honeymoon scrapbook.
-Well I scrapped the engagement/wedding part and just decided to make a honeymoon scrapbook. It is not complete, but I have worked on it so I'm pretty proud of myself.

20.) Work out at least three times a week for 22 minutes.
-I am proud to say I have done this and gone above and beyond. Probably one of my biggest accomplishments this year.

21.) Get rid of at least 22 things I don't need.
-Yes! I cleaned out our closets and donated clothes to my sisters and even took some stuff to goodwill. At least we can be sure I won't be on an episode of Hoarders anytime soon.

22.)Live this year to the fullest and document it along the way.
-This year has been fantastic and the future looks even better. I am truly blessed.

Happy 23rd to me!

Two Birds with One Stone

We are about a month away from our trip and we are still in need of funding!

Our good friend Cara has graciously agreed to help us out and in turn we will actually be helping her!

Cara is a new Mary Kay consultant and she has agreed to give %15 of all of her transactions from now until the end of September to our mission!

How great is she?!?

So, go to her Mary Kay Page and check out all of their awesome products! You will be helping out two friends!

Thanks so much!

My Best Friend's Wedding

This post is about a week late, but MY BEST FRIEND GOT MARRIED!

And, it was so beautiful and perfect.





I have really talented, crafty, beautiful, crazy friends who throw GREAT weddings.

Congrats Lori and Matt!

I'm hooked.

Pinterest.
Need I say more?
Why did it take so long for a site like this to be made?
It. is. everything.
I have been pinning like a MANIAC! If I would have found this before my wedding, I just honestly don't know what I would have done.
Lately I've been really into looking at teaching/classroom ideas and recipes.
If only 90% of the recipes on pinterest weren't delicious, decadent desserts that I am desperately trying to avoid.
BUT...I did manage to find some decently "healthy" dishes to try and here is my experience:

First Recipe: Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups
These were AMAZING and super easy.
Ingredients: 1lb. lasagna noodles, 150z. ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzerella, 1 egg, 10oz. spinach, 1 jar of marinara, salt and pepper.
First, cook the lasagna noodles according to box and drain.
While the noodles are cooking, make your filling. Mix spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, egg, and some salt and pepper together in a bowl. Mix until well combined.

When the noodles and filling are ready preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray pan with non-stick spray.
Next, lay out a few noodles and spread some filling from end to end of each noodle. Don't spread it too thick because you do have to roll them up and you don't want any filling to squeeze out.

Roll the noodles up and place in baking dish. Continue until filling is gone or pan is full. You will have noodles left over, but you can use them for back-up if some rip.

Once the pan is filled, pour the marinara over the noodles making sure everything is covered. Then, cover with foil and place in the oven to bake for 30 min. Then take it out and ENJOY!


Second Recipe: Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits

This recipe tastes just like the real thing and who doesn't love Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits?!
Ingredients: 2 cups of Bisquick, 2/3 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup of butter (melted), 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon parsley.
First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and mix the Bisquick, milk, and cheese until a soft dough forms.

Then, drop spoonfuls of the mix onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 min.
Mix the melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley and brush generously over the biscuits once removed from the oven.
Serve warm and bask in the buttery goodness!

Where do I begin?

How do you even begin to pack for four months in a foreign country?

How do you pack for four months period?

What will I need, what will I want, what will the weather be like, should I pack only normal clothes or should I bring some dresses, what if I feel like getting spiffed up (who am I kidding?), should I wait and just buy it when I get there, what if I need that one thing that I forgot.

I hate packing...so this is a nightmare.

I am also a list person, so I tried to start a list of things I'll need...then I realized I don't know anything that I will need.

So I started with the weather. The average temp. during the four months we will be there is in the 70's and 80's. YES!
But wait...it's also Typhoon season...
WHAT EVEN IS A TYPHOON?!

Also, you can only bring two suitcases weighing 75lbs each.
That sounded like a lot until I realized that's pretty much what I packed for our honeymoon.

I think I'll just throw every t-shirt and pair of shorts I own, a rain jacket, and my chacos into a suitcase and go with it.

Oh, and maybe a toothbrush.