365 days

Well, ok, our anniversary is May 22 so I still have four days but I think I will still feel the same way about our first year of marriage in four days as I do right now! Plus, as I write this, I have some down time, which I won't have, come this weekend!

At this time last year, I was probably way too stressed out over floral arrangements, programs, etc. and it was probably all being taken out on Adam. Looking back, I wish I had taken the advice that my mom had given me, more seriously: Don't sweat the small stuff. Will I still be married at the end of the day? Yes. Will we still have a wonderful marriage when it is all said and done? Yes. Adam took it all and certainly didn't have to. He was my rock then, and continues to be the one person who can calm me down when I am overworked which is one of the many reasons I love him.

Here are a few pictures from our beautiful day!

Completely stressed leading up to the wedding but the day of, cool as a cucumber!

I just love him!

This epitomizes the day entirely: Sweet and beautiful love!

Isn't he the most handsome?

I had to include a picture of the cake because it was the sing most detail I was most excited about!

I have learned quite a few things about Adam, myself, life, family, and marriage in the last year. Every year is a growing experience and this year was no different as we started our life growing together. Here are some of the bigger things I have learned this year that I think will only strengthen our marriage and us, individually, for the future.

• Some of the things we have experienced this year (unemployment and overall lack of stability) have really only strengthened our relationship for the better. We have learned to depend on each other for guidance and support and have learned to trust that God will provide and has a greater plan for us. I feel that we are beginning to see the light and I know even better things will come this year.
• It is alright to have alone time and I do require this at least a couple times a week. I don't need to spend every waking minute with Adam, just because we are married. I do like to have time to myself and have my own interests. I enjoy having the time during the day where we have two completely different jobs but are still able to discuss what is going on in our work life.
• It is alright to have our own friends and spend time with them without the other. In the fall, I had a couple bachelorette parties to attend while Adam stayed at home. This Spring, Adam had the same thing where he was gone for the weekend. I don't mind it, and I actually I welcome it. Am I ready to get home or for him to get home come Sunday afternoon? Yes. But I think it makes us appreciate each other more and appreciate the relationship we have with our friends more.
• I am very grateful for the opportunity I have had being close to my family and for Adam to become closer to my family. When I first went to college, I never imagined moving back to Rolla. As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate my family much more and in a different way. I am confident there will be a time (it may be this year, it may be in four years) that I will move away from my family once again so I truly do appreciate the time I have been able to spend with my family. It has also been wonderful seeing Adam get to know and grow closer to my family as well. I hope to have that experience with his at some point.
• I have never been more proud of Adam than I am at this very moment and I have a feeling that will continue to grow as well. Not only has Adam discovered what kind of relationship he wants God to play in his life, he has taken significant strides towards going back to school and completing his degree. I have seen him work harder this past Spring (in school and with his job) than any other time through the course of our relationship and it makes me so proud.

There are so many other points I could touch upon, but as I reflect on the past year, those were the major things that came to mind. I know we will only have one "First" Anniversary, but I would like to think that all of them will be special. Each year we will experience lots of firsts whether it is our first pet, first house, first road trip, etc. each anniversary will include its firsts. Happy Anniversary to my Adam and I can't wait to celebrate several more "Firsts" with you!

Mixed Emotions

I have mixed feelings regarding Osama Bin Laden’s death. While I watched CNN Monday evening when it was announced, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointed when I saw the reactions of my fellow Americans. Am I happy that someone with such hatred towards, not just the United States but to mankind is no longer a threat; yes. Am I happy someone died? No. In addition, I am not sure if jumping for joy and having mass celebrations across the country was the best reaction as it would egg on his followers. Instead of celebrating the death of someone, what if we continued prayer for the people he inflicted harm upon?

Unlike so many that were affected by the actions of 9/11, I was stuck in Midwest bubble and could only imagine what it would have been like to experience such a tragedy through internet and TV. Yes, it was a very devastating event. Yes, it instilled a lot of fear and anger inside so many. However, I am not sure if the way we celebrated the death of an individual should have been the appropriate action. I will celebrate when terrorism has died, not when a terrorist has.

What are your thoughts on the subject? This is one of the great things about the United States; our ability to speak freely without punishment.

Easter

Hello, again! I haven’t written in a while due to the fact I haven’t had much to write about. As many of you know, this past weekend was Easter and it was particularly special this year because Adam decided to join the Catholic Church. I am not familiar with the process of joining a church for other denominations, but I have a feeling that our process is a little more structured and takes a little bit longer.

I won’t go into full details regarding the process, but it did start in September and he was confirmed and received his first Communion at the Easter Vigil mass Saturday Evening. This mass is unlike any other mass we have during the rest of the year. There is a lot of ritual and tradition that goes into it and it is a very long mass; but it is one of my favorites. The entire services was about three hours long (this is uncharacteristically long and it is typically about 2 hours) but not once during the entire mass was I bored or disinterested. It truly is a beautiful a beautiful service.

Originally, a lot of Adam’s family was planning on joining us for the service; however his grandfather had surgery that Friday in which his mom went to be with her parents in Arizona at that time and his brother’s fiancé broke her leg a few weeks prior and had surgery so she was pretty immobile. However, Adam’s dad and stepmom made the trip from Omaha and I know that it meant a lot to Adam to have his dad’s support. Overall, it was a great weekend.

For more information regarding the Easter Vigil service, I would recommend reading this link. I think it gives a pretty good synopsis of the different parts of the Mass.

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent//prep-eastervigil.html

Spaghetti Squash Experiement

I normally don't post recipes, but feel like I need to share this with everyone!

In an effort to eat a little more healthy, I stumbled upon a spaghetti squash recipe. Since I am a lover of all carbs (especially pasta) I thought I would go ahead and give this a try. I really wasn't even expecting to try this until summer since it is somewhat out of season, but I was at the local grocery store in Produce and just saw it sitting there, staring at me, saying "Buy me! You won't regret it!!!"

 I don't have step-by-step pictures, but I do have a few and I do have the recipe.

After baking the squash for 45 minutes, take a fork and shred the inside

Pretty much hollowed out at this point

The squash mixed together with the peas, chicken, tomatoes, and sauce

Serve with some parmesan cheese!

Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun-dried tomatoes
Cast of Ingredients

1 whole Spaghetti Squash

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 cup Chicken Broth, Divided Use

⅓ cups Sundried Tomatoes, Chopped

2 cups Broccoli Florets

1 cup Frozen Peas

2 whole Chicken Breasts, Grilled And Sliced

¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 pinch Salt/pepper To Taste

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
2. With a sharp knife, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape/remove seeds with a spoon.
3. Place squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet: bake for 45 minutes. Let squash cool.
4. While squash is baking, in a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Saute 1 minute.
5. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli and saute 5 minutes.
6. Add peas, grilled chicken, and remaining 3/4 cup of chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth).
8. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes.
9. 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
2. With a sharp knife, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape/remove seeds with a spoon.
3. Place squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet: bake for 45 minutes. Let squash cool.
4. Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash with the tines to remove strands.
5. In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Saute 1 minute.
6. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli and saute 5 minutes.
7. Add peas, grilled chicken, and remaining 3/4 cup of chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth).
8. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes.
9. Once squash is done baking, shred with fork. It should be soft and easy.9. Mix squash with the chicken and pea mixture.
10. Serve with parmesan cheese

This is a great, healthy substitute to pasta. I have read that people will just top the squash with marinara sauce as it was spaghetti! If you haven't tried this wonderful veggie, do it ASAP!!!

Cross-Country Road Trip

Adam and I have been toying with the idea of taking a road trip to see his grandparents in....ARIZONA!!!! I have never been west of Colorado and, while he has, he greatly wants to visit his grandparents and spend some quality time with them!

The longest we have been in the car together was a trip to Lake Michigan from Kansas City last summer which was broken up into two days. The trip to AZ will obviously be broken up as well and I think our marriage can survive a road trip like this, but Adam is a little worried! I don't blame him, I can definitely be a back seat driver!

Whenever I think of the possibility of this trip, I get really excited for a variety of reasons! 1. To see some sites that I have never seen before, 2. Spend quality time with the hubby! 3. Spend some quality time with his grandparents!

So I am asking all 4 of my subscribed readers and whoever else takes the time to read this thing, what advice do you have for taking an affordable, fun-filled road trip? How do you budget your time, your stops, etc.? These questions are especially aimed toward Candice who, her and her hubby, have taken several road trips all over the place and always see to have a WONDERFUL time!

Selfish Newlywed

My first post in this blog I discussed my current work situation and how I am not completely satisfied by it. When I say satisfaction, I am not talking about money or benefits, but what I am taking away from the position. On a regular basis I ask myself if I have learned anything new about myself or about the industry, and on a pretty regular basis the answer is "I have learned this is not where I want to be." In my current role, I have never once answered, "Yes, even though I secretly cried after a student yelled at me and I have two meetings this evening and a paper to write for graduate school, I still love what I do and wouldn't trade it." While that answer doesn't specifically apply to my current position but very much so with my last position, I still want to know and see how far I can be pushed and see what I can handle.

I know I should be happy that I have a job. I get it. The economy sucks, there are millions of people without work, I have a nice home, a great husband, great friends, great family, etc. but I want more. I know this sounds selfish, but I want more out of my career. My current job is not a career and I view it as just a job. But when do I just give it up and be content with my current work situation. It is hard for me to be content when I spend approximately 36% of my waking hours at a job that I don't like and feel that I am not making a difference. I blame this on my parents for raising me too well. I could care less if I make more money, but I want to know that at the end of the day, I have made a difference. I think it is great that my parents instilled this philosophy in me: money isn't important, helping people and making a difference is.

Even though we are settled in, I am still applying for jobs elsewhere. Adam is a blessing and still tells me to go for it if I will be happier. I just feel that everything else in my life is essentially seamless and perfect, but my job situation isn't. Am I being selfish? Do I want to much or have too high of expectations? Is it bad to want a well-rounded life and career?

103rd Best Ever part 2

Well the St. Pat's festivities have finally concluded at the Missouri S&T campus and in the community of Rolla. To recap, I had a friend come down and partake in the festivities with me. Friday night we went to the coronation ceremony of all the student knights and honorary knights. I normally wouldn't have gone to this except my dad became an honorary knight this year and this is a very high honor at Missouri S&T.



My dad and I after his coronation.

After the coronation we headed over to The Grotto-local establishment. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures that the infamous bar, but I wish I could. There were people there ranging from men who attended school back in the 60s to current students now. It was a very diverse population!

Saturday morning was the parade which I did get some good pictures of! Since my dad was a knight he was able to ride in a corvette and throw beads. There were floats, kudgels, horses, marching bands, the whole nine yards. There was even this:


Well, I don't know why it is turned on its side and I don't know how to fix it, but I think you get the idea. St. Pat's really does bring out the crazies! Notice I was being respectful by not including her head!





Me and Val

Dad throwing beads!

St. Pat and his guards riding into town

My brother, my dad, and me

Also, every year, St. Pats committee sponsors a free concert. This year it was Reel Big Fish. The hubby was very excited as it is his kind of music!

All in all, it was a good weekend. Every year it is different, but always fun!

Tomorrow is the real St. Pats holiday (and I like to think my national holiday) so eat some corned beef, soda bread, and drink so green beer for me!

Do you have any St. Pats traditions?