My Rainbow in the Cloud, December 6

Oh Oswald Chambers, you were so wise.

"It is the will of God that human beings should get into a rightstanding relationship with Him, and his covenants are designed for this purpose...When I have really transacted business with God on the basis of His covenant, letting everything else go, there is no sense of personal achievement- no human ingredient at all. Instead there is a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into the union with God, and my life is transformed and radiates peace and joy."


I love that last sentence. It sums up today for me.



Don't you just love Jason's Deli?? I do. What I love even more than that is hanging out with my friend, Mo, there today. I love how God has been growing me and stirring my heart the past few months. I have had to overcome a few dark times to get where I am, but couldn't be happier with the sanctification process.

The Lord did amazing things in my life as well as the life of my Young Life kids this past weekend. We went to Lost Canyon for a winter weekend and had an amazing time playing in the snow, growing deeper with God, playing Apples to Apples and Mafia, and drinking warm chai. I am so thankful that God has chosen to work through me in order for high schoolers to come to know Him. I don't know why he chose me but I am glad he did. I am glad when I can look beyond myself and realize what is truly important in life.


The next few weeks are going to be very busy, but I cannot WAIT!

I will be graduating from college, having family in town, going to Christmas parties, a dance recital, a band concert, watching the Lion King at Mandalay Bay, celebrating my incredible husband's birthday, going out of town for Christmas, and having my best friend back in town for New Years. Gah!!

Where I'm at

These past few months have been extremely challenging. I've had to put forth so much work for school, my marriage, my job, and my ministry. I constantly get asked "How do you do it?" I don't have an answer. It's tough. I take it day by day and try not to worry about the future. I can't predict what will happen when I get there anyway. Please keep me in your prayers.


Right now my focus is getting through an interview tomorrow and the gluten free pumpkin cheesecake I will be making on Saturday :)


Oh yeah, and I'm seeing Lady Antebellum on Friday-woo hoo!!!

FIRST Year Anniversary: Part I

My first year anniversary being married to my amazing, sweet, wonderful, more-than-I-could-have-ever-wished-for husband is today! Boy, did that go by fast! Like really, really fast. This past year I have grown so much as a person. I have tried to kick some of my annoying habits- like pouting when I don't get my way. I have been successful often and being married has stretched me spiritually and emotionally in amazing ways. I love the relationship I have with my husband and knowing that if we both work at it every day and keep centered on Christ, in the end we'll always be okay.

Our gift to eachother was tickets to the Steelers vs. Cardinals game this past weekend. Max and I had never been to an NFL game before and we were so, so excited to get to have that experience with one another! That game was INCREDIBLE if you did not watch it! There was a 95 yd pass that resulted in a Steelers touchdown- that is the LONGEST successful pass in Steelers history and WE were there for it. We had so much fun eating hot dogs and nachos and cheering for our team.

The trip to Phoenix was great too! We stayed with family (who happened to be Cardinals fans, but we didn't hold that against them) down there and had time to sleep in (one of our favs) and just chill with Mac, Randy, Hannah, and Christy, and hear all about how amazing the Taylor Swift concert was from Christy and Hannah... so cute!

Here are some pics from that day. (We didn't get to snap any shots of the girl fight we saw on the patio of Yardhouse while we were eating dinner though..HAHA!)

The trip was a success! I"ll catch you up on Part II soon

Jamaica

Almost a year ago I spent the most wonderful week of my life in Jamaica with my favorite person in the world for our honeymoon. We drank delicious fruity drinks, got caught up on all of our lost sleep for the year, ate INCREDIBLE food, and met some great friends. I really want to go back.



That is all,

Adieu.

Alone

Sometimes I feel bad about myself in the fact that I'm not more outgoing. Most of the time I am more than happy to be spending my time alone, away from people. Is that wrong? It's not that I do not like people, it's that I often don't want their company. I don't know why I'm wired that way. I guess it's normal. Some people love spending time with others and can never get enough, but I feel like time never seems "special" or "relevant" unless it isn't all of the time. I suppose that's strange. My tolerance for others isn't high. That's one thing I wish I could change.

Recipe: Onion Frittata

I attempted to make a frittata this week. It came out very yummy. And I'm not the hugest fan of eggs so that's how I know it's good!


Here's how to make it:

Whisk 8 eggs along with 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, some rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, and chopped basil.

Put aside 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese.

Chop 1/3 cup of onion.

Brown the onions until soft, or  six minutes.

Cook your mixture in a pan until the bottom is browned, 4-5 minutes.

Add the ricotta cheese to the mixture.

Transfer to a cooking pan or skillet. Cook on 350 degrees for 10 min.

Here's what your delicious mixture will look like after it's cooked!

Then dish up a slice after it's cooled and add some more Parm!

 

Here's some quick facts about this dish and the ingredients in it:

Onions  have strong properties of anti-inflammation, contain Vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium.

Eggs are high in protein, contain Vitamin A, Iron, and Calcium. They are, however; very high in cholesterol (some nutritionists say its good cholesterol, but cholesterol is still cholesterol in my eyes.)

Parmesan is considered a low-fat cheese so that's the good news! It along with Ricotta contain Vitamin D and Calcium and moderate levels of fat and sodium.

....SO, overall it's a healthy version of a comfort food =]

Bon Appetit!

What's in store...

I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking and trying to be very perceptive of what God is saying to me.



I'm catching most of it as long as I take time to actually listen and stop being busy.



But I still have unanswered prayers that are on my heart that I think God is patiently waiting to answer.


He's waiting for me to put my full trust in Him.
He's waiting for me to set aside my selfish pride and put others first.
He's waiting for me to stop.



I have no cllue what my future looks like in terms of a career. It's kind of scary. I love that God knows how everything is going to unravel. I find comfort in that. I find comfort in knowing that even though I may not be happy with my job now, He will always provide.


I hear Him telling me to devote atleast one full year to stopping and listening to his call once I graduate.


I like His plan more than my own.

It seems that mine feels exhausting, prideful, and meaningless.

Anniversary Trip

Want to see the cutest, most surprised guy ever???

Here he is:

That is my husband, Max, after I surprised him with Steelers tickets for our upcoming anniversary!

He was so cute!

I had the tickets set on the bed with the door closed and I told him when I was ready for him to come in to see his "surprise" I would yell for him. So I ever so gently laid the tickets on the bed and sat next to them wearing his oversized Steelers jersey before yelling for him.

Be came in the room and said, "Are you my surprise?" Apparently he hadn't noticed the tickets yet.

So I pointed to them and said "Yes, but those are too!"

He was so happy!!

I successfully surprised him.

I just love giving people gifts!

Recipe: Roasted Lemon Chicken

I made my first roasted chicken a few weeks ago! It was suprisingly good. I say that because most of the time I am handling raw meat in preparation for a meal, I sort of get grossed out and can't even enjoy the meal as much as I know I would if I hadn't seen the meat in its raw form (strange, I know.)

Here's what went down:

I started out with a whole, uncooked chicken. I smeared two tablespoons of unsalted butter on it, along with salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage.  It cooked in the oven for a total of about 1 hr and 20 min.

Before sticking the bird in the oven I added sliced lemon wedges inside of the chicken and sliced lemon to the outside of it for more delicious, fat and calorie-free flavor!

In order for your bird to maintain its moistness and not burn, you should baste it. Every 20 min. I pulled it out of the oven and basted the chicken with the juices that have drained from it.

Here's what the end product looked like after I removed the lemon!

This meal was so easy and delish!

Double Wedding!

My mom and sister are getting married. It unfortunately is not going to be a double wedding, but nevertheless, I am celebrating with both of them for their wedding next year! WOO HOO!!

Talking to my mom put me in a much better mood than I was in yesterday. She is already finding amazing DIY deals and scored all of her wedding invitations and RSVP cards for $28! That's where I learned it from folks =] And my beautiful big sis, Christina, is planning on a late summer wedding in Lake Tahoe. That will be absolutely breath-taking. I am going to be a mess at both of their weddings. They are marrying great men that love and cherish them and I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness that both of their venues will only be an hour flight away from me.

I can't wait to buy them bridal shower gifts, see what their dresses will look like, share sweet tears with them, and help them both along the way.

Something more...

After some meeting with my friend, Monique, for some Pumpkin Spiced Lattes (SO happy they're back!) I feel a bit uneasy. We talked about Young Life and leading high school girls to know Jesus. Mo also told me about her recent mission trip to Nicaragua. My heart is thirsting to leave this country and go on a mission. I want to fade away from this life that is so easy, full of instant gratification, and self fulfilling. I want to know what it is like to not know where my next meal is going to come from. I want my faith to be tested strongly so that the only choice I have to is have unrelentless faith in my God. I want to grow this way.

I want this home

While visiting David in L.A., we stopped by our friends Erika and Rich's home. It is the most adorable thing you'e ever seen (and its 10 minutes from the beach!) Check it out:

Here's their garden:

 Check out that baby watermelon on the tile!! SO cute

 Yes, they are growing flowers from a leather trunk. Definitely stealing this idea!

 Here's their bikes. Erika rides to work on hers most days; so cool!

 Beautiful collage of pics from their life apart, marriage, and life together

So needless to say this was the cutest house I've ever seen and I want to live here =] 

Greetings from L.A.

Hi friends!!


How are you? I'm doing fant-astic!!! Just relaxing here in Los Angeles with my hubby and buddy, David. I met his girlfriend today, and she's just the sweetest thing ever. We arrived around 3:30 am and the boys stayed up until around 5am. Then they woke up around 8 am for their fantasy football draft... yikes! We spent the day eating, walking around the outlet mall area and Santa Monica pier, and relaxing. I snacked on some coconut shrimp rolls, shrimp and macadamia rolls, and picking at Max's mango and filet salad... so good and fresh!! You would have loved it =] Now we're just relaxing before dinner. Wish you were here to join me.

North Dakota

Hi lovelies!

Boy did I miss you (and non-fried food) but I had so much fun in North Dakota. Here's where we stayed:

We had so much fun there. We saw the towns that Max's parents grew up in, the farms they were raised on, the restaurants that were known to be the only cool place to go, and we got to ride in million dollar tractors.

These adorable kittens kept us company and also tried to steal our chips and salsa during our visit. 

 The only bar in Nekoma, ND. Max's second cousin owns it and we met his daughter, Miss North Dakota, there!

 My dream home (the only way I'd move to ND is if I could live in this home)

The church that Max's grandpa built

We had such a good time visiting with family, but I can definitely say that at this time in my life I am still a city girl. Meeting Max's grandma was such a great experience she was so cute and quirky. Think Betty White and Betty Crocker =]

There wasn't too much to do in this city, except eat and hang out with family but I think for four days it was just what I needed before my last semester of school starts.