Monday, March 29, 2010

The tomb was empty...

I should be studying for Trusts and Wills right now.  I'm at school, in the middle of a four-hour break between classes - sounds like perfect study time, right?  

In theory, it is.  And, in fact, I actually do really well at keeping up with one of my classes.  But for some reason, Trusts and Wills always becomes the redheaded step-child I just don't want to deal with, and I bury myself in other things. 

So today, like other days, my thoughts have been otherwise occupied.  And maybe it's because it's Easter week or because I heard an excellent sermon at church yesterday, but these four words keep running through my head.

The tomb was empty.

Jesus wasn't bound by his death.  He rose again.   

He rose again! 

What a day that must have been.  For the soldiers, who guarded the tomb and watched the stone roll away and angels descend from heaven!

For Mary and Mary Magdelene, who found Him missing and trembled in fear. 

For His grief-stricken disciples, who were mourning their teacher, but heard of His victorious triumph over death!


And for me.  Because, over two thousand years later, I can believe in a God who lives

Can I get an "Amen!" :)

And the winner is...

Monica Moussighi!!! 

And I promise, everyone, that I selected at random! Everyone down here in the law review office was looking at me like I was crazy while I tore tiny sheets of paper, balled them up, and swirled them around in an Einstein Bagel Bros. bowl. :)

Congrats, Monica! I'll email the people at simplehuman and see when you'll be receiving your prize!

Thanks everyone for participating - it was fun! :)

Friday, March 26, 2010

Do yourself a favor and bake these...

Ever since I saw this post on Pioneer Woman's blog, I have been dying to try these cupcakes. 

Well, mostly just the frosting.  I mean, I love cake and all, but isn't the frosting really the main event?

Anyway, so today I set out on a baking adventure, and I'm pretty sure I ended up in the promised land.  Yes, they're really that good.

Here's a picture of the finished product.  Try not to drool.


The only problem?

I've got all this icing left.


There's a very strong possibility I might eat it right out of the bowl.  Don't judge me.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

GIVEAWAY!!!!

So I wrote here about how much I love the simplehuman sensor soap pump.  In fact, I gave two away as Christmas gifts because I love it so much!

It's a hands-free, automatic soap pump, and it runs off AA batteries - no plug required!  Micah and I use lithium batteries in it, which last for a long time. You can put basically any liquid soap in there, and it'll shoot it right out when you put your hands under the sensor.  Micah and I definitely wasted quite a bit of soap when we first got ours, feeling like Jedi when the soap came out.

So it's totally fun, and it's also a smart product to have in the kitchen because it allows you to wash your dirty, greasy, chicken-germy hands without contaminating anything else in your kitchen.  Now I'm certainly not a germophobe by any means, but I would absolutely hate to poison my sweet husband by accident, and this product definitely helps on that front. :)  It's also not too bulky and fits neatly on the edge of my sink.

I'm obviously a huge fan of this product (actually of all simplehuman products - their trashcans are pretty fabulous, too.  And, yes, I recognize that I'm a huge dork for getting all hot and bothered about soap pumps and trash cans.  I can't help myself.).  And because simplehuman has graciously offered to donate a soap pump for me to give away...

I'm giving away a free simplehuman soap pump!!!! 

There are several ways in which you can win.

First, leave a comment on my blog.

You can leave one comment per day, from now until Sunday.  I'll pick a winner at random on Monday.
**I wasn't very clear - you can leave your "extra comments" (from posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Blog) all in one day or whenever you want. The "one comment per day" meant that you could come back once per day and post an extra comment (one that doesn't have to say anything or link to anything) for extra, extra entries.  Sorry I'm a crappy communicator. :)**

For extra entries: 

* Write a blog post about my giveaway, and post a comment here linking to your blog.

* Post a facebook status about this giveaway.

* Tweet about this giveaway (I'll see it if you include @ryanhargrave7).

* Leave a comment telling me about your favorite kitchen gadget.

Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry, or else I won't know to throw your name in the hat more than once!

I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Good luck!!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Meal Planning... Monday

I'm apparently completely incapable of posting my menu on the same day each week.  I actually did my meal planning on Friday, but for some reason forgot to post it.  So here we go... not a lot of new, interesting meals this week.

Friday:  Rodeo (again!)

Saturday Lunch:  Sonic

Saturday Dinner:  BLT's with Savory Spread and crackers

Sunday Lunch:  Something quick after church

Sunday Dinner:  Creole Pork Chops with rice

Monday:  Pasta a la Betsy and salad

Tuesday:  Late class for me, leftovers for Micah

Wednesday:  Grilled Chicken Salad with homemade ranch dressing

Thursday:  Late class for me, leftovers for Micah

Saturday, March 20, 2010

My meal-planning and grocery shopping method...

I did my grocery shopping yesterday, and it turned out to be a great week for saving!  My total, before my Kroger Plus Card savings and coupons, was $100.04.  My total after coupons and sales?

$50.82! 

This was including value packs of chicken, shrimp, and lean ground beef.  

I've really become a believer in saving money with coupons and sales.  It takes a little time, but it saves us hundreds of dollars a month, and that's money Micah and I definitely need. 

I'm definitely not an expert, but I thought I'd go through my process with you and show you how the magic works.  

1.  Newspaper 


I subscribe to the Houston Chronicle.  

I have never been a newspaper kind of girl, but when I decided I wanted to start couponing, I realized that I didn't want to have to run to the store every Sunday to pick up a paper.  So I went ahead and subscribed, and even though I spend $52 a year to have it delivered every week, the savings more than make up for that.  Heck, I almost saved that much this week alone!

So every week, I go through the coupon inserts in the paper, clip the ones I might even remotely use, and file them in my handy-dandy coupon binder (made from a cheap accordion file Micah had laying around).  Then I go through the binder once a month or so to clean it out and get rid of expired coupons.

(Ignore my ugly hand in the picture... it wouldn't stand up on its own.)

2. Printable Coupons and Other Deals

Then, I try and keep up with the printable coupons that come out throughout the week.  I generally use Money Saving Mom and My Litter - both post great deals and links to great printable coupons.  Money Saving Mom is based out of Ohio, and My Litter is based out of Houston, so both are useful for different purposes.  My Litter often posts great deals around town - free movie tickets or free restaurant deals.  For my Dallas friends, check out My Dallas Mommy for Dallas-specific deals.

Also check out Coupons.com.  It's an easy site to use, and you don't have to sign up for anything. :)

The first time you try to print a coupon off the web, you'll probably be prompted to install a "coupon printer." Don't be alarmed.  It's not spyware or anything like that.  I think it's just necessary to print the barcodes.  It doesn't take long at all, and it won't take up a lot of space on your computer.

I generally print two of each coupon (that's usually the limit for each computer).  And just like the newspaper coupons, I file them away in the appropriate section in my binder.

3. Sale Papers/Meal Planning 



Sale Papers 
The sale papers for the grocery stores in Houston generally come out on Wednesdays (except for CVS and Walgreens).  Somehow, they just get delivered to our mailbox.  I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm sure that if you're not getting them now, you can sign up on each store's website to have it delivered to you at no cost.  

I generally only shop at Kroger, but occasionally there will be an awesome deal at Randall's or HEB that I just can't pass up.

I just keep them sitting on my desk until Friday.  That's when I do my meal planning and grocery shopping for the week. 

Menu Planning 
On Friday, I sit down and start meal planning.  I usually look at which meats and vegetables are on sale at Kroger and go from there.  I start a list for the grocery store and a menu.

For instance, this week, Kroger had shrimp and chicken breast on sale.  I had been wanting to try Pioneer Woman's Penne A La Betsy, which called for shrimp, so I added that meal to my menu and shrimp to my list.  Then, I thought that I needed to throw something healthy in the mix with all that heavy cream and butter, so I added grilled chicken salad to my menu for the week, as well as the chicken to my list.

So that's sort of the logic - what's on sale, and what can I make with that?

 Match-Ups
At that point, I go back to Money Saving Mom and My Litter (and sometimes other sites) to check out the coupon match-ups.  They'll list the things that are on sale at each store, and show you which coupons you can pair with the sales to generate awesome savings - including links to printable coupons you may have missed!  My Litter also has an incredible new feature - a coupon database! You can search the database for any product, and it'll pop up with any coupons that are available and where you can find them.

These deals may also lead to items for the menu.  Like this week, I saw that Kroger had the Hormel Refrigerated Entrees on sale - buy one get one free.  The matchup listed a $1/1 printable coupon, so that means that I could print two coupons, and after the sale, I could get two Hormel Entrees for very cheap.  So I added Hormel Beef Roast Au Jus (which is SO delicious) and some homemade macaroni and cheese to my menu.

I also try to remember which high-value coupons I have in my binder, so I can make my own deals when the websites miss them.  Like this week, I knew I had two $1.5o/1 Oscar Meyer Bacon coupons.  Kroger had them on sale for $2.99, so each package ended up being $1.49 - a great price for bacon! Then I decided that I could make BLT's one night this week and added that to the menu.

Sometimes I just get a craving for something that may not be on sale.  And in that case, I just bite the bullet and pay full-price for the ingredients I need.  But I do try to plan around sales - especially when they're great like this week!

Target Prices 
I'm discovering as I shop more that I'm developing a target price for each thing I buy - a number I don't like to go over.  

For example, for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, it's $1.99/pound.  Kroger and other stores often put chicken on sale as low as $1.65/pound, so when it goes on sale, I stock up.  That way, I don't have to pay $2.50/pound when I need it in a week or two.

Stock-Up Items 
After I make my menu for the week, I check for things that are at a super-low price that I may need to stock up on.  

Like this week, as a part of a Kroger Promotion, Micah's favorite Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste was on sale for $1.99.  I had a $1/1 Aquafresh coupon, so the toothpaste ended up being only $.99.  That's actually more than I'd like to spend on toothpaste (because you can often get it for free or almost-free at CVS or Walgreens), but Micah's very particular about his toothpaste, and I often have to pay full-price for it.  So $.99 was a great deal.

 4.  Go Shopping!!


And that's basically it!

It sounds like a lot, but I honestly don't spend more than 2-3 hours per week on everything.  I was definitely slower at first, but I'm finally getting the hang of it.  And at this point in my life, the time is worth the savings.  Ask me in a few years, when I'm attempting to juggle kids and a career, and I may have a different answer. :)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bar Trip...

The "bar trip" is a rite of passage for law students.  No, it's not an expensive drinking binge (although that's certainly not uncommon among law students).  It's a vacation that a law student (or rather, law graduate) takes after they finish the bar exam.  The bar exam is a grueling, three-day exam, usually taken a few months after graduation, that must be passed in order to practice law in a particular state.  

I take the bar exam at the end of July, and I was adamant that Micah and I take an awesome trip afterward.  We're actually going to South Padre with my family in early July, but I can never get enough of the beach.  So I spent a lot of time researching beaches and hotels.  And I settled on...

MEXICO! :)  

We went to the Cancun area for our honeymoon, and it was absolutely amazing.  The beaches were gorgeous, and it was relatively inexpensive.  And I thought that, even though it would nice to go and see someplace new, I really just want to plop myself on the sand somewhere and sit for a week.  It doesn't really matter where.  

So after weeks of searching through every travel website in existence, we decided to go to The El Dorado Casitas Royale in the Riviera Maya.  


The place looks GORGEOUS, and every website gave it excellent reviews.  It's a five-star resort, and it's super secluded and relaxed, which is exactly what I want.  We're staying in an individual villa-type thing, and it's decked out with an in-room jacuzzi and an outdoor shower! (Don't worry, the walls of the shower are enclosed.  It's not that kind of place.)  
One of the billion things I love about this hotel are these beach beds.  Our honeymoon hotel had them all over, and they were so wonderful and relaxing.


So anyway... that's the light at the end of the tunnel for me.  I graduate on May 16 and begin a bar review course the very next day.  But come July 29, I am free baby! And we're headed to Mexico on August 7.  Can't wait!

Rodeo!


Yesterday, I went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with my adorable friend Kristen, our friend Amanda's husband Matt, Matt's friend Geoff, and his girlfriend, Lauren.  (In case you're confused about our motley crew, our friend Amanda is currently traveling for a mock trial tournament, which I'm SURE she will dominate, and her husband had never gone, so we all just went together.  And Micah didn't come because he had to work and because we're going again tomorrow with his BFF Cody and his girlfriend.)

In case my non-Houston friends don't know, the Houston rodeo is a big deal.  It's a rodeo, but it's also a big carnival, and it has Texas State Fair-esque food (read:  fried anything and everything).  And each night a different musician plays - and it's generally pretty big name people.  Almost everyone goes at least once while it's going on, and it's oh-so-much-fun! Micah and I went for the first time two years ago to see Rascall Flatts, and we had a great time.

Last night was so much fun.  Not only was it rodeo time, but it was also St. Patrick's Day! Everyone was decked out in green, and the mood was so fun and festive.  
We all met at Kristen's house, and in honor of "Mustache March" (I honestly have no clue - Matt swear's it's a real thing), Kristen got Matt a mustache... enhancer.

(Shh... it's wax.  Don't tell anyone it isn't real! And, P.S., I took these pictures with my old point and shoot because I haven't picked up a camera bag for my new camera yet.  Hence the not-wonderful quality of the pictures.)

We took the Metro from Kristen's apartment to the rodeo.  It was my first time on the Metro. :)

(Notice our green.  Kristen's is a pretty, kelly green.  Mine is a strained peas kind of green.  Oh well.)

And then we arrived at the madness.  I should have taken a picture of the masses of people - it was SO crowded!  Our first order of business was to ride rides.  I'm definitely a ride-rider at Six Flags and other amusement parks, but I've never been a huge fan of carnival rides.  The fact that they're portable just bothers me a little.  But I wanted to give it a try, so we got on this ride.


And I thought, I honestly thought, in the middle of the ride, I was going to fall out and plummet to my death.  I'm so not kidding.  I kept thinking back to my physics class, and I was trying to do the calculations in my head - how far up am I?  How fast will I be going when I hit the concrete?  

And then I thought of the headlines.  "Stupid girl dies on carnival ride."  "Law student resembles pancake after horrible fall." 

Anyway, miraculously, I ended back on solid ground, but I skipped out on the next ride for sure, and I was dizzy and nauseated for about the next thirty minutes.  

Between the five of us, we ate a wonderful assortment of rodeo food, including jumbo corndogs, cotton candy, caramel apples, BBQ sandwiches, fried oreos, ice cream, nachos, dippin dots, and fried pickles (which I stood in line thirty minutes for - totally worth it).

Then we went to the livestock show and saw these cuties.


They had just been born, and they were so cute. :)  

And then there was this guy.  


We were just... baffled.  Is it a makeshift scarf? Anyway...

We finally headed into the rodeo, which was fun.  I grew up around rodeos and ropings, and it's always fun to watch the cowboys (and girls) do their thing. 

And then Gary Allan came on, and he was so good! I was super impressed at how good he sounded live, and I loved the music.  

So, all in all, it was a great night.  I ate waaaaay too much, and my feet were crazy tired, but I had a good time. And apparently I'm doing it all over again tomorrow! :)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

My new toy...

Remember when I posted here about how I wanted a digital SLR camera?  

Well, apparently I need to be careful about what I say here, because my sweet Mimi bought me one for my graduation present!!

So I am now the proud owner of an Olympus E-420.

I've been playing around with it for a few days, and there is DEFINITELY a lot for me to learn.  Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure are going to have to become part of my vocabulary.  I've been checking out The Pioneer Woman's online tutorials, and my user's manual is already looking worse for the wear.  

But it has been fun learning so many new things.  I'm sure I'll never become any sort of professional, but maybe I'll at least learn to take pretty pictures. :)

Here are a few pictures I've taken with the new camera!

Monday, March 15, 2010

This weekend...

Micah and I went home to Josephine this weekend and got in some MUCH needed time with our families.  It just reminded me what a wonderful place I grew up in.

On Friday, we got into town around 2:30-ish.  We unloaded our stuff and our cantankerous puppy (who was being incredibly sassy the whole way up), and then I drove about an hour out to Cooper to see my sweet Mimi.  It was so good catching up, and she gave me an incredibly generous graduation gift that I can't WAIT to use (I'll post about it later).

I went back to Micah's parents' house for dinner, and we celebrated Micah's and his dad's birthdays with some good ole' country cooking and mandarin orange pie (so, so, so, so delicious).  I just love Micah's family.  You couldn't find nicer, more giving people anywhere.  And it doesn't hurt that both his mom and dad are wonderful cooks.

Saturday morning, Micah went fishing, and I spent a few hours visiting with my Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Tammy and her two girls.  It was so wonderful being there.  It's hard seeing my Mamaw not feeling well, but she's in good spirits and surrounded by her family and sunshine - her favorite things. :)  

After that, I had lunch with my Aunt Brig and my fun cousins at my very favorite Italian restaurant EVER.  We had so much fun catching up and visiting.  The women in my family are all so fun and lively - never a dull moment with the Abbott (and Price!) girls. :)  Plus, my cousin Heather's little Carson is probably the cutest little boy on the face of the planet.  I can't wait to go to the beach in July and spend a few days just enjoying my incredible family.  

After lunch, I headed over to the roping pen where my brother was roping to visit with everyone there.  I didn't get NEAR enough time with you, Lauren - thank goodness I'll be home in a few weeks for your shower!! 

When I got back to Micah's parents' house that afternoon, I discovered something very out of the ordinary... Micah and his dad had actually caught an ice chest full of fish!  Needless to say, my husband was a happy, happy boy. :)

Saturday night, Micah and I met my brother and Faith at my Dad and Lori's to visit and eat some delicious Mexican food.  Dinner was wonderful, and we got to visit for awhile afterward.  Again, moral of the story - my family is awesome.  

Sunday was lunch with my Mom and Steve.  My mom makes the zuppa toscani soup and the addictive salad from Olive Garden, and I have to say - she does it better. :)  Lilly got to play with her boyfriend, Gus, and I got some good, quality time with my Mom. Of course, she sent Micah and I home with about a week's worth of leftovers.  Tonight we're having leftover soup. :)

So let's break the weekend down - family, food, family, food, family, food, family, food, and family.  Sounds like the perfect start to my spring break. :)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

More Randoms...

I have no idea who is actually interested in the random quirks in my personality, but they just keep coming to me.  So I'm writing them down.

1.  I say "ow" even when it doesn't hurt.  I think this stems from growing up with a jerky big brother who liked to pick on me.  I learned fairly quickly that if I screamed "Ow!" from the backseat, my parents would yell at him to stop doing whatever tortuous thing he was attempting to do to me.  So now, when Micah surprises me by tickling me or jumping out at me, my impulse is to say "ow!" to make him stop.  

He doesn't like it when I do this.
2.  I listen to random instrumental music.  I'm currently listening to "The Never-Ending Feast" by John Williams from the "Hook" soundtrack.  I loved this scene - where the lost boys sit down to eat, and all this amazing, colorful food magically appears!!!

3.  When I was a toddler, I liked to bite into onions like they were apples.  Needless to say, I was a stinky-breathed little girl.  

4.  I can name twenty-seven states in alphabetical order.  When I was in elementary school, we did this play about the United States, and one of the songs we had to learn was a listing of all fifty states set to music.  For some reason, I can't remember how the song goes after "Nebraska."  

I occasionally sing the song to myself so I don't forget the rest - just in case I ever end up on some T.V. show and need to know how many states begin with the letter "M." (Eight, in case you were wondering).

5.  I have attempted to dye my hair red at least four times.  My sister-in-law has been one of my best friends since we were four - back when I thought her name was "Face."  I was always so enamored with her GORGEOUS red hair.  I convinced my mom to let my dye it red in seventh grade with some temporary hair dye.  But it didn't work.  I tried a similar color a few other times, but my hair just wouldn't take it.  

Finally, during my sophomore year in high school, I used a VERY dark, deep red that ended up looking purple on my hair.  

That was my last attempt.  I just wasn't meant to be a redhead.

6.  I don't dance very well.  I've hinted at this one before, but I thought I'd make it abundantly clear, just in case my husband reads this blog entry.  Any time I try to bust a move at home (or in public - sometimes I just can't control myself), he gives me this "do you really think that's okay??" kind of look.  Sometimes I take the hint.  Sometimes I just keep on dancing.

7.  I could live on Mexican food for the rest of my life... no seriously.  There's nothing I love more in this world than delicious Mexican food.  I mean, really, how could any combination of cheese and tortillas be anything other than perfection?

8.  I have a particular fondness for the semicolon.  I feel that the semicolon (you know, the half colon, half comma that sits next to the "L" on your keyboard) is incredibly undervalued.  It just sits there, underneath the colon, next to the apostrophe, watching all of its other punctuation friends find their way onto the screen, waiting for its turn to shine.  This one goes out to you, semicolon; I think you're great.

9.  I can't decide how many spaces should go between sentences.  Some days it's two.  Some days it's one.  Sometimes it's three - if I'm feeling a bit rebellious.  Today is a two-space kind of day.  I think this might be an indication of a deeper problem:  I'm incredibly inconsistent.

10.  I don't like using the last of things.  This becomes particularly problematic in my shower.  For instance, right now I several almost-empty bottles of shampoo and body wash.  When I see that I'm getting low on something, I don't do the logical thing and use the last of it.  I instantly open a new bottle and add it to the collection.  For example, I currently have approximately seventeen bottles of perfume sitting on a shelf in my bathroom. 

Maybe I'll add some more to this list.  Maybe I won't.  And, just in case you were wondering, right now my iTunes is playing "I Dreamt of Edward" by Carter Burwell from the "Twilight" soundtrack. 

I love...

THIS!

These pictures are so beautiful.  They make me really want a digital SLR camera. Maybe I'll buy myself one for a graduation present. :)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Meal Planning Friday... on Saturday... on Monday

This week's meals are a little uninspired, but I thought I'd share anyway... I actually did all my grocery shopping on Saturday this week, so the days are a little off.  And I'm late, to top it all off... I'm sucking at life lately. :)

Sunday Lunch - Barbecue Ribs, Cole Slaw, and Potato Salad.  (This was Kroger's meal deal this week, so I bought the ribs and got everything else for free.  All I had to do was heat the ribs up and whip up a quick cole slaw dressing.  Click on "cole slaw" and you'll see the recipe... it was delicious!) (P.S. Discovering that some genius decided to sell ground chipotle pepper powder was a wonderful moment for me.  I can't even describe the amazingness of it.  Just try it for yourself, I promise you won't be disappointed.)

Sunday Dinner - Broccoli Cheese Soup and Crostinis.  (The crostinis are delicious - and SO easy to make.  I stole the recipe from my friend Katy, who apparently stole it from HER friend.   And now my sister-in-law, Faith, makes them too! It's like "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Recipe."  The broccoli cheese soup was pretty good - I would add more cream and a little Velveeta next time.)

Monday - Pasta Alla Vodka (minus the vodka because I don't own any and didn't feel like buying it) and Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing.

Tuesday - Late class for me... leftovers for Micah

Wednesday - Mexican Casserole and Guacamole.


Friday - SPRING BREAK BEGINS! Micah and I are headed to Dallas for a few days.  We haven't been home since Christmas, and we're both in desperate need of some family time.

So there's our menu.  What are you guys having this week?  Post your recipes or a link to your menu-planning blog in the comments!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Ten Random Things about Micah Lee...

If I haven't made it abundantly clear yet, I'm pretty crazy about my husband.  He's my favorite person in the entire world, and I'm sure everyone gets sick of hearing about it. 

But I was thinking the other day about how little everyone probably knows about Micah.  He's pretty quiet, and even though we have been together for almost eight years, even my family and closest friends still seem surprised about the things I say about Micah sometimes. 

So this post is dedicated to all the little things I know and love about my husband.

1.  He's a neat freak.
I wouldn't call it full-blown OCD, but he walks a fine line.   And while I'd consider myself fairly neat, I just sometimes can't keep up. 

I'll never forget the time that, after my parents had separated and my Dad was selling our house, Micah came over to help me get it ready for a showing.  I had already done the typical things like spray air freshener and pick everything up, and I asked Micah if he could vacuum for me.  He started moving the furniture out of the way, and I asked him what he was doing.  He said, "aren't we going to vacuum under the couch and chair????" As if only an idiot vacuums around things.  So cute.

2.  He never does anything halfway.
As I'm sure you can tell by the vacuuming story, Micah always does everything perfectly.  

He could be painting the walls or parking his truck or hanging a picture on the wall, and it will be perfectly straight, perfectly even, and perfectly perfect.  No matter how long it takes.  

This is one of the many reasons he makes a wonderful husband.  

3.  He's incredibly considerate. 
When Micah gets gas and has to go inside to pay, he doesn't leave his truck parked at the pump.  He moves it to a parking spot that's out of the way - just in case someone might need to pump gas while he's in the store.  

When someone asks Micah for something, no matter who or what it is, he's going to do it.  Hands down.  No questions asked.  

When Micah is driving down the road, he never cuts people off.  He never gets into the faster lane, knowing he's going to have to merge back into traffic. 

He's never, ever going to do the easy thing just so his life is a little more convenient.  He always considers how his actions affect others.

4.  He's not shy. 
Everyone assumes that because Micah is quiet he must be shy.  But when I ask him about it, he explains it this way.  "It isn't that I'm uncomfortable being around other people.  In fact, I really enjoy it.  And it's not that I feel uncomfortable talking around other people.  It's just that I don't feel the need to insert my opinion about everything, especially when everyone else is talking."  

I'm pretty sure that "everyone else" actually means me. :)  Poor guy... how could he get a word in edgewise when he's married to a loudmouth like me?

5.  He's really, really funny. 
And he has this incredibly dry sense of humor.  I'm probably the only person who sees it on a daily basis, and I really wish I could secretly record him sometime.  Then you'd believe me. :)

6.  He loves the Lord with all his heart. 
One of the first things that attracted me to Micah was his devotion to his Lord.  

It's not just religion to Micah - it's a genuine relationship with the God that saved him, and though he's not as vocal as I am, his relationship with Christ drives everything he does.  You can see it in every aspect of his life.  I so admire that.

7.  He'd do anything for his family. 
Micah doesn't need an entourage of people in his life.  He has a few, very close friends, and he has his family.  I remember when we were dating, I loved the fact that he helped his mom make dinner most nights.  And that he'd help her clean the house when family was coming over.  He'd mow the lawn so his dad didn't have to do it on his days off.  He remembered to send funny cards to his grandparents on their birthdays.  His younger cousins adored him.  I looked at his family-oriented nature and knew instantly that he'd make a wonderful dad someday.

8.  He's wrapped around Lilly's finger (paw?). 
He was always hesitant about getting a dog.  He knew it would be a time commitment and that a dog would make a mess.  But I finally wore him down, and I'm pretty sure he'd tell you that he doesn't regret getting Lilly one tiny bit.

Now, Lilly sleeps in the bed with us - even though Micah can't stand the dog hair everywhere or the mud she tracks in on rainy days.  And he lets her lick him, even though he's not big on doggy kisses.  And he gets the biggest smile when she curls up under his arm, with her head on his chest, to go to sleep. 

9.  Get out Monopoly, and he turns into a used car salesman. 
My stepmom gave us the Monopoly game a few months ago, after I had mentioned how much I loved playing it.  When I showed Micah, he mentioned that he had never played before.  (Um, seriously?? Who hasn't played Monopoly??)  

So a few weeks ago, Micah and I played together, and I can't express to you how funny he was.  I told him the general strategy of the game, and he took to it like a duck to water.  He was wheeling and dealing and kept trying to buy my property.  I landed on the "Go To Jail" space, and instantly he said, "I see you've got to head to jail there.  How about I pay to bail you out, and you sell me Marvin Gardens??  That's a pretty good deal.  I'll even pay full price."  

Needless to say, I lost that game.  And the next one.
10.  He loves to fish. 
This boy would fish every day if he could.  And it fits his personality so well.  It requires patience and quiet - things he has in abundance.  

I think part of the appeal is that he generally fishes with his Dad and Grandpa.  
He cherishes the time he gets to spend with them, and he loves the bonding that can only come when you've sat in a boat together for eight hours, waiting for the perfect catch.



There are a million other reasons that I love this man.  He's sweet and kind and incredibly gorgeous.  But you probably already knew that. :)

Friday, March 5, 2010

Things I've Been Up To...

So apparently I've been busy.  And it hasn't been super-interesting, exciting things kind of busy.  It has been class and class and more class... Throw in a few sixty-page papers I've got to read, and there's my life.  So here's what I've been up to.


Mock Trial
I've been taking a Trial Advocacy class, and one of my assignments was to do a mock trial last weekend.  It was scary and fun, and a bit of a disaster. But I did it anyway.  This particular trial was ungraded, so that's good- I would have given myself a B-.  The real, graded trial isn't until sometime in April.  So I've got some time to get better. :)

Law Review
I'll be officially done with law review in a week or so.  Hallelujah.  But between now and then I've got to read ten 60-page papers and evaluate them for publication. 

Micah's Birthday
It was Micah's birthday on Wednesday, and I felt like such a crappy wife.  We're broke as a joke right now, so we agreed that I wouldn't buy him anything big and that he could just buy himself some stuff at Bass Pro with some gift cards he'd saved.  (P.S. It's amazing that these gift cards have lasted so long... he got them for Christmas! When I get gift cards, I'm lucky if they last a week.)

Anyway, so I got up on Wednesday morning and made him chocolate chip pancakes, which he loved. :)  When I got home from class that afternoon, I went to Kroger so I could get stuff for dinner.  I had decided to try making chicken-fried steak for the first time.  I'm not a HUGE fan of it, but Micah is so I picked up the meat (Another P.S. - I had to ask the butcher what kind of meat to buy.  That's not super-interesting, but I thought I'd let you know anyway.) and all the other things I needed.  I saw some of his favorite candies, so I bought a few bags of Swedish Fish, Ferrero Rocher Candies, and Werther's Hard Candies.  Plus I found a really funny card - it's "The Office" themed.  We're SO dorky.  He's also been telling me how he needs a picture of me for his office, so I framed a bridal portrait picture in a frame and put it in the bag with the candy. 

So I made chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes (with lots and lots of heavy cream... yum!), and cream gravy (which was also delicious - I'm about to have it on toast for breakfast).  I tried a new Pioneer Woman recipe for dessert.  Have I written about Pioneer Woman yet?  I stumbled across her website, thepioneerwoman.com, as I was reading other blogs a few weeks ago, and I'm officially obsessed.  I'll let you explore the wonderfulness for yourself, but here are a few of my favorite recipes:  Ribeye Steak with Blue Cheese and Onion Sauce, Chicken Spaghetti, Chicken Salad, and Apple Fritters - the dessert I made for Micah's birthday.  They were so good! I could have eaten the whole bowl of batter, but I exercised just a little self-control.  And after dinner, I even did all the dishes... and there were a LOT.

Anyway, so Micah swears he had a great birthday, but I hate that I didn't get him more.  It'll be so nice when I finally get a job and a salary... this pinching pennies stuff is for the birds.

Work
I've been having a great time at work.  It's so fun. And I finally got my third-year bar card number yesterday, which means I can actually DO things in court now!  I'm so excited! But can I just tell you about something that the judge in my court did yesterday?  I'm just going to tell you to go here and read the story.  All I can say is that trial judges are supposed to follow the law - not make it. That's that.

Mamaw
My sweet, wonderful Mamaw (my Dad's mom) has been in the hospital this week.  She went in because she was having trouble breathing, and she assumed she had a mild case of pneumonia.  But after a few days and a few tests, the doctor told her that she has pulmonary hypertension - a kind of low blood pressure in the lungs.  We don't know much about it other than that it's a rare, serious condition and that there isn't a real cure.  She'll probably be discharged from the hospital today, and she's going to have to see a specialist next week.

We're all worried and scared, but we know the Lord is in control.  He has miraculously healed my Mamaw before, and I have no doubt He can do it again.

So that's what has been going on in my world.  Let's hope next week is a bit better. :)
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