My Music Wednesday...

I promised I'd post a song, and I thought I'd post videos of my two favorite performance from last night on The Voice (the actual song part starts around 2:07). The first video is Javier Colon singing an original song called Stitch By Stitch. This guy's voice is insane, and he seems like the nicest guy, too. Plus this song is just gorgeous, and I'll definitely be buying it.

The second video is actually Javier again, singing a duet with his coach, Adam Levine. They're singing Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror, which is one of my favorite Michael songs. They did an amazing job living up to Michael's greatness, and I'll also be buying this song - I LOOOVE remakes. :)

Highlights...

Dangit... if life would just slow down, I might be able to blog a little more consistently! But I really will try to do better, I promise. For now, I'll just catch you up on the highlights, but be warned - they're long. :)

Last Friday, we had dinner with Mom and Steve and then dropped by Dad's afterward to see Miss Stella-Bell. She's so precious and sweet, but my brother swears she turns into a gremlin (his words, not mine) when she gets fussy. I don't believe him. She's perfect. :)

On Saturday, I vegged around the house in the morning, and in the afternoon Micah and I drove into Dallas to Pottery Barn to buy our dining room table. Except we didn't end up buying it. :( The one I had my eye on (pictured below) just wasn't the right color/size for Micah. And I hate to admit it, but he was right. It's just a LITTLE bit too dark and just a LITTLE bit too small. We popped across the street to Restoration Hardware, but all the wood in that place is just too grey for me. So we're STILL looking. I feel like the pickiest person in the world, but I really want to get something that will last us a long time, so I might as well get exactly what I want.

On Sunday, I had to work for most of the afternoon. It was actually the first time, in the nine months I've been at the firm, that I've had to go up to the office on the weekend. Definitely an accomplishment. :) And I was rewarded for my hard work because that night I took the summer associates to the firm's suite at the American Airlines Center to see the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert.

And it was awesome.

I know you couldn't possibly believe me, but I swear - it was so much fun! Yes, they're old, and, no, they can't really sing very well. But they were there to put on a show dadgummit, and they definitely did. I knew almost all the songs and shamelessly sang and danced along, which was totally okay because everyone else was doing the exact same thing. We shared the suite with one of the partner's wife and her sorority sister friends, and they outsang and outdanced us all night long. I wish I had taken my good camera and gotten a decent picture, but I did manage to snap one with my iPhone.

I was tired when I got to work on Monday, but it was definitely worth it. :)

This week has been fairly uneventful. I was happy that Ashley (the Bachelorette) FINALLY moved on from Bentley on Monday... if she had kept him around I may have had to stop watching (although let's be real here... you can't really look away from a train wreck.) Last night, I proudly cheered on my favorites during The Voice's final performance show. Is anyone else watching? I think it's so much fun, and I'm absolutely in love with Blake Shelton and the way he's taken his girls under his wing to help them make it. I kept thinking when I first started watching the show that I would have picked Adam Levine because he's so talented and seems like a cool, interesting guy. But after seeing Blake with Xenia and Dia, I'm smitten - he's so precious and funny.

So that's what has been up in the Hargrave house this past week. I'll get this week's song up later today, I PROMISE! :)

My Music Wednesday...

Even though A Walk to Remember was a pretty terrible movie, I've always loved Mandy Moore's version of Only Hope. A few years ago, I stumbled across Switchfoot's version, and I love it even more. Here's a live performance by Switchfoot below. Enjoy!

Appetizers to try...

Clearly I have a thing for appetizers. Particularly dips {see below}. So after I took the time to peruse Show Us Your Life's best-looking dishes, I figured I'd share them with y'all. Don't they look scrumptious!? I'll definitely be making ALL of these soon!

{Click on the titles to see the recipes in full.}

{Spinach, Bacon, and Onion Dip}

{Creamy Jalapeno-Cilantro Dip}

{Warm Bacon Cheese Spread}

{Baked Vidalia Onion Dip}


{Cheese Boat}

(No picture available.)

I don't know about you guys, but I'm ridiculously hungry all of a sudden. :)

Pinterest Fun...

This might be a one-time post, or it might be a weekly feature. Who knows. :) But I'm addicted to Pinterest, and I thought I'd share my favorite finds from the past week or so.

(from here - I'm in LOVE with this and am definitely planning on painting my piano)

(banana cake with brown sugar buttercream icing from here)(from here - I definitely bought these)

(from here)

(from here - how perfect is this!?)

(from here)

Patio furniture...

A week or so ago, Micah and I were picking up just a few groceries at Target.

We walked out with new patio furniture.

That, of course, is the brilliance of Target. You go there for juice and you leave with furniture. But, in my defense, patio furniture was on my list of things to buy for the house, and I had been eyeing this exact set online for $100 more.

The set didn't come with the throw pillows, and I'm trying to decide on a color scheme. I'm thinking about citrus-y colors like yellow and green for spring/summer, and then switching out the yellow for brown for fall/winter. I don't actually see us doing much entertaining outside because we live in Texas, but at least it'll look pretty when I look out the window from the living room. :)

Tiki torches and chimichangas...

Micah and I were never one of those couples who were always breaking up and getting back together. It's just not like either of us to either (1) continue on with something that isn't working or (2) wallow in drama.

BUT... we did break up once. To make a long story short, about a year after we got together I (stupidly) convinced Micah that he couldn't really love me since he hadn't dated much and still hadn't really figured out how to express his feelings. In my head, if he wasn't shouting poetry from rooftops (I blame my love for romantic movies), he must not be crazy about me. So we called it quits for about a month.

I've never been one to sit around and mope about a boy, so I picked myself up and kept myself busy. A few days after we broke up, Micah tried to call, but I really just didn't want to listen. A few weeks later, we went on a mission trip together with our church to Mexico. My heart was starting to melt (really, how could I resist - he's so freaking adorable), but I still wasn't convinced. I knew what I wanted and what I deserved, and I just wasn't willing to settle for someone who I wasn't sure was absolutely head over heels in love with me. (Clearly no self-esteem problems here.)

When we got back from Mexico, Micah begged me for one last chance. He just wanted the opportunity to take me on a date. I reluctantly agreed but honestly wasn't expecting to change my mind.

A few days later, he came to pick me up. When I got in his truck, he blindfolded me so that I wouldn't know where we were going. We drove for about ten minutes over SUPER bumpy roads (turns out, they weren't actually roads), when he finally stopped the truck, opened the door, and took off the blindfold.

We were standing in the middle of an overgrown pasture. Micah had come earlier in the day and mowed a circle in the middle of it, lining the circle with tiki torches. He cooked one of my favorite things - homemade chimichangas with homemade queso and guacamole - for dinner. There was a table set up in the middle of the circle with candles, and we sat and had dinner under the stars.

It was, by far, the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. He was so nervous and sweet, and I just melted. I was crazy about him, and he was crazy about me, and there was no sense denying it. We've come a long, long way since then, but I occasionally remember that night and thank the Lord that I finally caved. There's no one else in this world who could fit me so perfectly, and there is definitely no one else who could melt my heart with a chimichanga.

What's been up - in iPhone pictures...

Whew!

The last week has been INSANE!

I was busy with the trial skills course from last Saturday through Thursday, and, although it was amazingly useful and fun, it wore me out. I was in lectures all day long, and then I had to come home every night and prepare various things for the next day. But the good news is that I won my trial! :) If only I could really count it as a "W"...

In other news, Micah and I finally bought the armoire that matches our bed. We went back and forth between buying the bigger, two-piece armoire and the single dresser to keep the TV on. The dresser was definitely cheaper, but we eventually decided that we needed a bigger piece to counter the massive bed. Plus, we liked the idea that we could shut the doors and hide the tv.



Yesterday we went to my brother and Faith's house to see the little princess. She's so incredibly precious, and I'd be remiss if I didn't share a few pictures. (Some of them are from yesterday and some are from the hospital.)

(These last two are obviously not iPhone pictures - they were taken by my BFF, who is absolutely amazing. Check her out here.)

Today we went to church, picked up some clothes for Micah and me, and then had lunch with Micah's sweet family.

Right now, I'm actually watching the Mavs, hoping and praying that they can finish the Heat tonight. Dirk and Kidd really deserve a championship. :) Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Dropping in...

This week has been craaaazy! I started a trial skills-building course on Saturday and have been going all day every day since then. We have our mock trial tomorrow morning, so I'll definitely post more soon. I just wanted to check in and say hi! :)

Show Us Your Life: Appetizers!

Today, I'm linking up to Show Us Your Life's Appetizer post to share a delicious recipe!

I shamelessly stole it a year or two ago from Katy over at The Link Home, and I'm so glad I did! It's such an easy, fun dish to make, and it's definitely a crowd pleaser!

(Photo credit to The Link Home)

Here's the easiest recipe you'll try all week! :)

Ingredients
1 French Baguette
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c mayonaise
1/2 c shredded swiss cheese
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
shedded parmesan cheese (optional)

Slice baguette in 1/4" slices, place on foil lined pan. Combine cream cheese, mayo, salad mix, swiss cheese, and spread on bread slices. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 mins until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy! :)

My Music Wednesday

I promise I'm not being paid to gush about Parachute. I just have been listening to their new album all week, and I honestly cannot stop listening to Kiss Me Slowly. Apparently they co-wrote it with Lady Antebellum, and it's gorgeous. Plus, the second verse sort of reminds me of me. :)

(Don't mind the video... it's a little strange.)