Hope

Hope. such a short and sweet word that truly means a lot. A LOT. I have so many things in life to be thankful for, all of which bring me such great hope for the future.

My main squeeze, Marissa, recently got such wonderful news when out in Houston at MD Anderson, where here surgery was beyond successful. This re-affirms my hope and belief in prayer, medicine and people in general. Check out Marissa at http://maparks.blogspot.com/ 

More fun news. Michael and I are going to be an aunt and uncle! His sister and her husband, Marielle and Brian, are due in the fall. We're both first time uncle/aunt and very excited :)

In between all of the hectic things going on, there are so many beautiful, hopeful blessings hidden in people, opportunities and places. I am trying so hard to take a few moments out of every week and realize these hidden treasures, for I know I will be such a happier wife, sister, friend, daughter and co-worker to everyone!

Swing and a miss

I should have known this wasn't my week when I was called for jury duty Monday morning. No one goes to jury duty expecting to get put on a trial. They picked me. For a four-five day trial. Work has been a little crazy lately, so this sort of threw me into a tizzy trying to figure out how I would manage everything without access to my computer or my office for one week. Now that I am done with day two (hour 18) of the trial, I am invested emotionally and mentally in the outcome and think this whole thing is pretty cool (albeit, redundant and drawn out, but cool)!

So, after missing my massage on Monday night because I was stuck downtown at court and didn't get home until way later than usual I was feeling all out of sorts and I hate not being on my schedule. So, to put my little family back in a routine I decide to try out the new Crock Pot (that's a lie- I tried it once, it wasn't perfect, but a meal in the end) with a spaghetti meat sauce. I followed the directions in preparation perfectly and then put it on low before I left. 

      Directions: turn Crock Pot on low for 10-12 hours. 

Well, I get home after 9 hours to the not so sweet aroma of what I would compare to what it smells like when you're cleaning the kitchen oven, only not so severe. Burnt garlic to say the least. How is this possible?! I go and open the pot, and sure enough it is completely burnt to a crisp. Ugh. So, we head on to our favorite restaurant, El Azteca, and have a cheap, but wonderful (although our chips were more burnt than usual, what gives?) meal. 

Not sure when I will brave the Crock Pot again, but I am pretty bummed. It was my favorite kitchen registry item (because it claims to be so easy) and we are not getting along as well as I had hoped.

In new news- I am taking ideas for new hobbies. Michael seems to have lots and that makes me jealous. My current favorite hobbies (my TV shows) haven taken a summer hiatus, so I have more free time and well, let's be serious, TV is not a hobby anyways.

Blogging ain't easy

I am honestly shocked it has taken me this long to get on the blogging train. I'm a social media advocate, so I guess I just never had time or anything to discuss (warning: those things haven't changed.)

I'm not promising anything exciting or ground breaking, but I thought this would be a fun way to keep up with my family and friends far away.

What you probably can't expect: cute, wifey updates about our fantastic home, babies, cooking successes or my love of cleaning. I'm pretty un-domestic. I am messy, have a cookbook consisting of five recipes and when kids see me they run the other way. But, I am trying, and will hopefully share some of our funny adventures as an un-domestic, newly married couple along the way.   

What do I love? laughing, good food, tv and shopping (probably in that order.) Enjoy my favorite picture from Michael and I's wedding last month. I love it because it catches us in a sweet and very natural moment.