Something sweet...

One of my very favorite things to do is to bake. Almost every Sunday, after Micah and I get home from church, I get the urge to get out my KitchenAid mixer and bake something sweet. Today it was a homemade chocolate chip cookie cake with homemade buttercream frosting. (And let me tell you, the frosting is perfection. I could drink it, but I resist the urge.)

I'm not sure why I prefer baking to cooking. Or why I get ridiculously happy when I get to refill all of my baking canisters with fresh flour and sugar.

But I'm pretty sure it's in my genes. My aunts and grandma are bakers, too. They can make some of the most delicious desserts imaginable, and even when I was little I recognized the pure joy they got from baking yummy goodies and watching everyone scoop their creations up at family gatherings. Before I got married, I could get by at holidays by just bring something simple, like fruit salad, or nothing at all. Now that I'm practically a grown up, it looks like the pressure's on for me to keep up the tradition.

So look out everyone! I'll be trying my hand at a yummy treat this Thanksgiving. But no pies. I don't really like pie. :)

Like Mother, Like... Puppy??

If you had seen me anytime during my childhood, you would have noticed two things right away: (1) I sucked my thumb with no shame and (2) I carried a raggedy, white blankie everywhere I went.

I eventually quit sucking my thumb (thank goodness!), but I carried that blanket until the satin lining was all that was all that remained. I'm pretty sure my mom still has the lining somewhere. :)

So when I came home after spending the summer in Dallas and away from Micah and Lilly to find that Lilly had taken a liking to an old blanket we had lying around, I thought it was hilarious. This dog LOOOOVES her blankie. She carries it everywhere. She sleeps on it. She plays with it.

And the wear and tear is starting to show. But I'm pretty sure I'll let her play with until she tears it to pieces. It's just too cute.

I have the BEST husband...

Since I'm not doing anything during the next three weeks before school starts, I get to sleep in every day. It's glorious! Today was even better, though, because Micah left me this note before he left for work.

Isn't he wonderful??

Super-Dog

So one of Micah's favorite thing to do with Lilly is play frisbee. We bought one at target a few weeks back and made the mistake of letting Lilly "play" with it. (In other words, she demolished it in less than 10 minutes). So we bought another one and keep it out of her reach when we're not playing with it. So I thought I'd share a little video of my amazing puppy (and a couple of pictures, as well). :)

It normally takes her a few minutes to get warmed up, but then she's pretty good and catches almost everything.

After we came inside... she just wanted to REST! :)

Home is where the heart is...

I'm FINALLY back in Houston for the remainder of the summer. I finished working on Friday around noon, ate lunch with some of the other summer associates for the last time, got my car loaded to the brim (thanks to my Dad), and got on the road to Houston as soon as I could.

The drive went just fine. Fluffy just slept in my lap most of the way, and I was jamming out with my iPod at maximum volume.

But the feeling I got driving into Houston and into my garage was just... indescribable. It's so strange, because I definitely consider Josephine to be "home." It's where I grew up... my family is there... Micah's family is there. But if home is where the heart is, then my home is wherever Micah is. I've always said that Micah and I could live in a cardboard box, and I'd be happy as long as we're together. And it's true. As hard as it has been to be away from everyone these past two years while I've been in law school, this summer has been even harder being away from Micah. But now I'm home with Micah, and life can get back to normal. :)

One other thing. Have I written about the book I read this summer called "The Wednesday Letters"? It was really a wonderful book, and I got a great idea from it. The book centers around a couple who had been married for 30-40 years. On the day they got married, the husband promised to write his wife a letter each week for as long as they lived, and he did. The book starts with the couple's death, and the story unfolds as their children read all of the letters. Anyway, so, as I'm sure you can guess, I've started writing Micah a letter each week. Except I write my letters on Monday instead of Wednesday. It gives me something to look forward to each Monday. Speaking of... I've actually got to write his letter before he gets home tonight. :)