An Update on "The Love Dare"

I posted earlier about the book Micah and I were going through together called The Love Dare. I wanted to write a little bit about what we've thought as we've been going through it together.

Bottom line, we absolutely love it.

We love that it forces each person to spend a little time each day thinking about how we can better serve one another. And for me, it's so gratifying to know that Micah's actively doing something each day to live out his love for me.

Even for couples like Micah and I who aren't going through major issues or problems (I mean how hard can it be when you're a newlywed and everything is bliss?), I would recommend it. It does seem targeted to solving problems that might already exist, but from our perspective, it's about preventing problems in the future. It's about learning to put one another first and guiding our hearts to love unconditionally and selflessly. It's about letting the Lord love through us.

And I love that it's forcing Micah and I to spend a little time each night talking about things that matter. We've talked about things I never thought about before, and when you're married to a man of few words, moments like that are invaluable.

So if you want a challenge and your partner is up for it (or even if they aren't), I recommend picking up a copy of The Love Dare and getting started.

Just know that it IS a challenge. And it requires some effort. But I think it's worth it. Love always is. :)

Recipe Time

This is by far the SIMPLEST recipe I make, but it's one of my favorite things. Plus it's cheap. :)

It's a savory cheese spread. You can put it on a cracker (it probably needs to be a pretty sturdy cracker, though, because it's thick). But I love to just buy a big loaf of french bread, slice it up, toast it in the oven, and put the spread on top. That's how Micah's mom makes it (I actually stole the recipe from her, but I know she won't mind me sharing).

Alright, here's the recipe.

Savory Cheese Spread

8 oz cream cheese
1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian seasoning mix

Slightly soften the cream cheese (but not too much!). Mix in the Italian seasoning packet thoroughly. Refrigerate until cold.

That's it! It's that simple. And it's delicious. I actually had some for lunch today. :) If you make it, let me know what you think!

Big Mistake

For two people who seem to be very rational, reasonable people, Micah and I sure do make a lot of impulsive, irrational decisions.

For example, this weekend Micah and I went to a local nursery to pick up some mulch for our front yard. While we were there, we noticed some pretty magnolia trees that seemed very inexpensive. We had been talking about getting a tree or two to put in our backyard, so without doing ANY research whatsoever, we bought the trees and brought them home.

When we got home, Micah dug the holes, and we planted the trees. Easy breezy.

It wasn't until I googled "Magnolia Grandiflora trees" that I realized that these trees can grow up to 90 feet tall, and we had only spaced the trees about 8 feet apart. PLUS, we stuck them both below a power line. Can you say "idiots"?

So it looks like tonight we'll be digging the trees up and moving them.

Oh well, at least I get to watch Micah dig some more holes... I love it when he does manly things like that. :)

Walking

So I'm actively looking for a job right now. I'm obviously not having a lot of success, but I swear that if I hear the words "in this economy" one more time, I'm going to strangle someone.

For me, it's crystal clear that I'm being led. I can't see where I will end up yet, but I know that God has a plan, and I have every faith that I'm walking down a very particular path. A path that He has determined will lead somewhere.

So I'm going to keep walking. Even if I have no roadmap, and there aren't any street lights.

It's funny because a year ago, I was so confident that I would end up working at a big law firm after graduation, making the big bucks, and working ridiculous hours. And, on paper, it seemed like that would happen for me. I had done very well my first year of law school, I was being actively recruited by countless law firms, and I decided to spend the summer at two great law firms in Dallas.

And this past summer, things were still looking bright, in spite of the fact that the economy had crashed and everyone was panicking. I had gotten great reviews at both firms, had made some good contacts, and knew that I had done enough to deserve a full-time offer of employment at both firms.

Yet here I am, jobless and with no prospects. The firms that were so actively pursuing me last year are full, and even the smaller firms seem hesitant to take a chance on an unknown candidate that didn't spend the summer there. I applied to several judges for a one-year clerking position - something I'd have been a shoe-in for last year. And still nothing.

Panic time, right?

No. I just refuse to stress out about it. I'm convinced I'm being led in a different direction. That my well-intentioned plans weren't what God had in mind for me. I feel peace, even though there's no earthly reason I shouldn't be completely freaking out.

I don't know where I'm headed yet, but I know I'm headed somewhere. I know God hasn't forgotten me, and I know He will provide. I just have to keep walking through the darkness until I see the light.

Are you kidding me??!!??

I'm pretty sure Lilly has a secret admirer.

He's a turtle. Named Timmy. Timmy the turtle. Nice, huh?

Let's start from the beginning.

I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester, so I'm generally at home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It's a pretty sweet schedule, actually. It's a little troubling, though, how little studying and how much internet surfing I do. But that's a story for a different day...

Anyway... so it's Wednesday, and I'm home. About halfway through "The View" (don't judge - there's very little good TV on during the day, and Whoopi is funny) I hear Lilly just barking her little heart out in the backyard. Generally, when she does that I can just yell at her from inside the house and she'll be quiet.

Not today. When she wouldn't shut up after about eight or nine rounds of "LILLY!!! BE QUIET!" I figured it was time for me to go out and investigate.

Apparently we had an intruder in our backyard, and Lilly was making sure I knew it. I look over near the fence, where Lilly is barking and jumping like there's no tomorrow, and I see a big fat turtle. Poor little guy. He was tucked into his shell (clearly trying to escape the wrath of the big, bad chocolate lab), and he wouldn't move until Lilly moved to the other side of the yard. After deciding that he looked like a Timmy, I set him about 10 feet outside our fence, wished him well, and went back inside.

About 30 minutes later, Lilly's making a fuss again, so I go outside and see that Timmy has found his way back inside the fence. I'm kind of pissed at this point, because it means I have to pick up the freaking turtle again, and, quite frankly, it freaks me out. This time I walk five houses down and plop him at the edge of the sidewalk there, figuring I'd be rid of him.

But of course, about an hour later, Lilly starts barking like crazy again, and I go back outside, expecting that turtle, who I'm now convinced is equipped with some sort of GPS device that somehow keeps directing him to my backyard, to be sitting by the fence again. I don't see him, but Lilly's barking at the gate so I open it up to see what might be bothering her.

Big mistake.

One of the neighbor's dogs has gotten out of his fence and found his way to our yard (are we emitting some sort of silent signal beckoning the domestic and wild animals of the neighborhood to come visit us??). Lilly sees the dog and takes off down the street, following him. I try to call her, but she's having none of that, running at full speed in pursuit of the other dog.

So I take off running, too, in my pajamas down the street, screaming after Lilly, hoping she doesn't dive in front of a car, and wishing I had put some shoes on before I went outside. After about a 70-yard dash, I finally catch up to Lilly, call her to me, and she miraculously comes. I grab her by her collar, furious with her, and walk back to the house.

We get back inside the fence, where I accidentally stepped in a big pile of Lilly's poop, and I see the freaking turtle sitting in the middle of the yard. No joke.

And that has been my day so far. I've apparently got a puppy who attracts turtles, and I'm still out of breath from the chase. Maybe it's nap time?

Do you want to make $1.50 on some lotion?

You're in luck! Walgreens has a special this month on Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion. Buy it at $6.99, get $6.99 in register rewards to use on a subseqent purchase (register rewards basically work like a Walgreens gift card, only it's just a piece of paper that prints out with your receipt after the transaction).

PLUS, if you use a $1.50 coupon (get it and print it here), you can actually MAKE $1.50 on this lotion! (The coupon may require you to install a coupon printer. Don't worry - it just takes a second and won't interfere with your computer in any way).

Just thought I'd pass the knowledge along. I got mine yesterday, and I love it!

For my very best friend...

I hope each and every one of you has a "Lauren" in your life. I hope you have a person who you can depend upon no matter what. A person you know will pick up the phone when you call. Someone you know would go anywhere or do anything for you without hesitation. I certainly do, and I can say with some certainty that my life just wouldn't be the same without her.

Lauren has been my best friend since seventh grade, but we actually met in fourth grade. We both went to Birmingham Elementary School in Wylie, and we honestly just didn't click. She was sassy and a bit of a bully, and I was awkward and a bit of a weenie. But she moved away from Wylie and out to Josephine when we were in sixth grade, and I really didn't think about her again until my parents announced in the middle of my seventh grade year that we would also be moving to Josephine. It's so funny when I think back to that time because I remember thinking that I didn't like her much, but I knew I would hang out with her anyway because she was the only person I knew there and because she was popular and could introduce me to everyone. I'm so shallow, I know.

As fate would have it, she ended up becoming my very best friend in the world. Once I moved to Josephine, we were inseparable. I'm pretty sure I spent more time at her house during middle school and high school than I did my own. We spent countless hours gossiping about boys, wrapping houses, playing basketball, making prank calls, riding horses, making video diaries, listening to music, drinking Dr. Thunder, and just figuring out life together.

And when I think back to the most significant moments in my life, Lauren was there by my side. Screaming "I love you, Ry-Ry" during my valedictorian speech at our high school graduation. Holding my hand and crying with me when my parents divorced. Watching from a distance as Micah proposed. Toasting to us at the wedding. And I know she'll be right there when Micah and I have our first baby.

That's actually what's made me think of all this. No... Micah and I are definitely NOT having a baby yet. But Lauren and Eric are!!! And I just couldn't be happier. I've watched her grow up and become the most amazing person - a loving wife and mother that I am proud to know. I watched her lose her Mom and hold it together for her sisters, for her little boy. I know how strong she is, and I know that she deserves every good thing this world has to offer.

So congratulations, Lauren! I'm so happy for you guys, and I love you more than I can say.

Another "Wednesday Letter"

"I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you. You had me mesmerized."
- Brad Paisley, "Then"

Micah Lee,

Do you know how often I think back to the night I first met you? The images come to my mind like a photograph. It was 1998, and I was standing in the sanctuary at the First Baptist Church of Josephine. I still went to Wylie schools, but my parents were moving us out to the country and thought going to church in Josephine would help me get to know everyone. I had no idea I'd end up meeting my future husband there in that small church.

It was the last night of vacation bible school, and I was too old to participate. So I sat with Lauren, the only person I knew there, in the sanctuary, just watching the bible schoolers sing and dance. You were standing there on stage... holding a puppet and singing along with everyone else. You were SO cute. I'm pretty sure you stole a small piece of my heart there in that moment. I leaned over and asked Lauren who you were. She told me you were just a sixth grader, and I was a little disappointed that you were younger than me.

But the crush developed anyway. How could I help myself? Your blue eyes truly were mesmerizing, and I loved how quiet and shy you were. I loved how you stood up on that stage and captivated me. You and that puppet.

I couldn't know in that moment that you would stand on that same stage, ten years later, and captivate me once again. That I would walk down the aisle in a white dress, holding my Daddy's hand, and see nothing but your face. Our wedding day is such a blur to me, but I will always remember that moment, seeing your face as I walked down the aisle. I'll remember looking at you and wondering how I got so lucky, wondering why in the world the adorable boy with the puppet picked me.

Love,
Ryan

Small Blessings...

Today has just been one of those days. Despite my best efforts, my optimism and good cheer have just fizzled away throughout the day, and at this point I'm just feeling... ugh. So I've decided that I'd take my friend Kristen's approach to days like these and list five things I'm thankful for. :)

1) My late class is canceled tonight, and instead of learning about patent prosecution I get to go play racquetball with one my favorites. :)

2) I've got an ice cold Diet Coke sitting on the desk in front of me.

3) Micah's parents are coming into town this weekend, and I know we'll have a great time.

4) Micah and I are REALLY REALLY enjoying going through "The Love Dare" and will be doing "Day 9" tonight. :)

5) I had a great run with Lilly Bell yesterday and have decided that I'm going to run more often. :)

Wow. I actually do feel better. The Lord is gracious. :)