A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine

Our kitchen is finished!

We painted our cabinets back in December. I can’t believe it has been so long. In March, we had granite counter tops installed. In April, we had our back splash put in. We thought about doing it ourselves, but we are glad we went with a professional.

Just a quick visit to the past. This is our kitchen the day we looked at the house for the first time.

Here what my inspiration kitchen looks like http://www.granitesantacecilia.com/

I really liked the colors and wanted something similar in my kitchen.

Our finished kitchen!

It is such a relief to have at least one room in our house complete :)

Two Different Kinds of Free

Growing up, I was taught that America is a free country. The land of the free and the home of the brave. Generations of Americans have fought to maintain freedom. This freedom is simple and basic. The right to govern ourselves. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But wait, there’s more. It’s a free country right? Free healthcare, free abortions, free food, free place to live, free education, free, free, free. It doesn’t even matter if you are a citizen. Freedom from having to work, freedom from religion, freedom from morality, freedom from personal responsibility.

There is growing number of people in America who will vote for ANYONE in order to keep their “freedoms”. They will put men in office who have NO business running this country because they are promised these “freedoms” and “rights”.

This is NOT kind of free our forefathers died for, and it is NOT the kind of free our soldiers today are fighting and dying for.

November can’t come soon enough for me!

Our First Project

We have been in our house for about a month now, and we didn’t like the kitchen cabinets. For $80 in paint and supplies, we repainted them.

Here is the kitchen before. Neither of us are fans of white.

And here is the kitchen after.

I did an antique painting technique. My camera doesn’t capture it quite right. They look better in person, but this gives you an idea. We are really happy with them. We are also planning to install granite counter tops. I can’t wait to see it all completed! Did I mention I love owning my own home? I will post the kitchen again once the counter tops are in :)

hot pockets

Why do people make fun of hot pockets? Why is it that when I am sitting at work, eating a hot pocket, people walk by and say stuff like “hot pocket, huh?” As if they are secretly laughing at me for eating a hot pocket?

Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Hot pockets taste amazing
• They go from from freezer to microwave to hand in 2 minutes
• A hot pocket is like a sandwich you didn’t have to make, only it’s hot and tastes a lot like pizza(which makes it clearly better than a sandwich)
• You can eat them without untensils

Cons:

• People walk by you while you are eating one and say “hot pocket, huh?”

When you weigh the pros and cons, whether or not you eat hot pockets really comes down to priorites. Are you willing to eat what you want and give up the approval of your salad eating peers? Or do the opinions of others keep you from enjoying this childhood favorite? I already know my answer to that question. Let each person decide in their own heart what is right on the subject :)

things i miss

Things I miss about college:

I was doing some internet window shopping and ran across some cute rainboots, and my thoughts immediately went back to the last time I saw anyone wear rainboots. It was at FHU. They were all the rage; I really think girls got excited when it rained because they got to wear rainboots. I survived in flip-flops, and secretly snickered at the girls in rainboots. Maybe some people don’t like to get their feet wet, but it never bothered me enough to go out and buy rainboots. And I never had to worry about that awkward feeling after the rain stops and you are walking around campus in the bright sunshine with your pants stuffed into your bright, shiny, up-to-the-knee boots.

Anyway, rainboots are not what I miss about college, but the rainboots got me to thinking about college in general.

1. I miss long naps in the middle of the day

2. I miss intramural sports

3. I miss the singings

4. I miss only having half of a room to keep clean (and that was kind of optional)

5. I miss only have two loads of laundry a week

6. I miss learning stuff**

7. I miss all the ice cream I ate (I can still eat ice cream now, but my conscience let me enjoy it more, then)

8. I miss long naps (have I already mentioned that?)

9. I miss having winter breaks and summer breaks to look forward to

10. I miss breakfast night in Gano, i really do

**Please do not take this to mean I miss studying or writing papers, I just miss the general learning that seeps in when you are sitting in class, not the kind you have to put forth effort to obtain

It all ends here…

I have been a Harry Potter fan since November 2001. I went to see the first Harry Potter movie on my 15th birthday. The movie sparked my intersest in the books. There were only four out at the time, and I quickly read them all. They were great. They still are great. Then, I did what all the other Harry Potter fans did. I waited….

Harry Potter fans have done a lot of wating. Waiting for the next book to come out, waiting for the next movie to come out. For the past nine and half years, there has always been something exciting around the corner. And the tagline for the final movie was “it all ends here”. And while that may be true for some, it doesn’t end for me. I cannot wait for Harry Potter books to be available in e-book, so that I can carry ALL 7 books around with me in my Kindle. Yes, I am a Harry Potter dork. Yes, I know I sound lame.

And for anyone that hasn’t been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure in Orlando, you need to go. Really, you can fly on a broom, tour the Hogwarts castle, drink butterbeer, and walk through Hogsemeade. Harry Potter dreams come true there. 

Ok, now time for some Harry Potter confessions. I am kind of hoping someone else out there can relate to his.

1. On our first date, Casey told me he had not read Harry Potter books, and he never planned to. This was almost a deal-breaker. I married him thinking I could change him. This has still not happened, but I am not giving up.

2. When I find out someone has read the Harry Potter’s, I instantly like them more, and my opinion of their overall well-roundedness as a human being is much improved.

3. When I find out someone has never read the Harry Potter’s, I start thinking of ways to convince them that they need to. I feel sorry for them that they have not experienced the magic.

**Please don’t take this post too seriously ;)**

What i like about you

Here is a picture of us on the day we celebrated our anniversary.

Today is mine and Casey’s third anniversary. Every year of marriage has been better than the one before it. There are whole lot of serious and mushy reasons why I like him, but I will spare you those. Here are just a few shallow (yet important) reasons why I like him :)

He has kept gas in my car for the past 3 years. I would say that I’ve barely pumped my own gas 10 times since we have been married. When you consider that I have to fill up about once a week. I’d say he’s doing a pretty good job.

He lets me buy stuff whenever I want. Especially when he’s out of town. This week was no exception :) It’s really nice.

As much as he likes to watch ESPN, he watches “mutually enjoyable” tv shows with me when we are together.

He waits until after I go to bed to play video games. He doesn’t yell at the video games when I am sleeping (anymore)…

He always makes room for “us” time.

He lets me finish his desserts.

He plays golf with me even though I’m really terrible.

He pays the bills.

He cleans the showers.

And he tells me he loves me a lot, gotta love that :)

VBS has begun :)

Well, the hardest part is behind us. Thanks to several amazing people, the decorations were finished with time to spare early Saturday evening. VBS (Vacation Bible School) started last night, and seemed to go really well. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the week goes.

On another note. LTC went great last week. I can’t wait to hear the girl’s lessons online. The two boys I heard did an amazing job. As for our old apartment that has to be evacuated in two days, it did in fact survive 9 boys. It’s on it’s way to being clean and shiny. Ahhhh. Feels good to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can hear waves and can feel sunshine in my (sort-of) near future.