No longer newly married

After 5 years of marriage, the Lord has taught me many things about Himself, myself, and my spouse to me.  The Lord has used marriage as a tool of sanctification in my life and I grateful for His refining fire.  For many of you, 5 years of marriage may not seem like very long, for others 5 years may seem like a long time away (if not an eternity).  But, I have grown up in these past five years, in my estimation for the better, and I am thankful for the maturity and the peeling away of the immaturity that were characteristic of my high school and undergraduate years. 

The Good

Many good things have occurred in these past five years.  Even thinking about all the good that has come from our marriage is an overwhelming thought and makes me realize that I would not even be able to list all the good here.  Brandon found a profession that he enjoys and that God provides our needs through this profession.  This was not the case at the beginning of our marriage.  We both had to work and we both disliked the work.  What a joy it is to have a husband who enjoys his occupation!  What an undeserved blessing it is that I am able to stay at home with my son to raise him! 
 

The Bad

Obviously the most difficult time in my life occurred those first five weeks of Noah's life.  As always, God turned bad into good so really the outcome of this time should be in a different category.  However, those 5 weeks were the longest and most difficult of our marriage.  God protected us from Satan in that our marriage actually grew stronger through this trauma, but never have we cried such tears and felt so utterly helpless as a couple.  Of course, Noah is the absolute best thing our marriage has produced.  We are so blessed to have another baby in the womb as we speak.     

The Ugly

Our first few fights in the marriage were not beautiful.  Looking back at them now, they were laugh-out-loud funny, but at the time they were not funny.  They were a the ridding of selfishness and pride of each party.  Certainly we are still selfish and proud, but as they years roll by in marriage you learn to live with one another in an understanding way so that (at least in our case), the arguments never get to the shouting match level and in fact, almost disappear entirely. 

The Lovely

God is molding me into a godly woman everyday.  He is turning me into something that I never really wanted growing up, but now I desperately desire.  He is turning me into a woman who loves my home (meaning the people in it) and who desires to live for her home.  Working in the home is my first priority as a wife and mother.  I could not say this in all honesty the first few years of marriage.  But through much turmoil and stubbornness, God is bringing me into conformity with his will for my life.  I still have a long way to go, but the process is just lovely.    

Certainly this is not an exhaustive list of the good, bad, ugly, and lovely.  But the good news is, the good and lovely list certainly outweigh the bad and ugly.  May the Lord of Hosts be praised for his faithfulness to our marriage vows! 

Our wedding anniversary, August 13th, was a day filled with joy and remembrance.  How long have you been married and what are you most grateful for during this time of life? 

Busy bees over the 4th of July holiday

Hello dear readers.  Sorry I was gone for a little while but my husband, son, and I have been keeping ourselves busy elsewhere.  We have been making small home improvements as of late and watching a lot of fireworks.  On Saturday we went over to my parents for linner and then Noah stayed with his Grandma and Pap pap so his Mommy and Daddy could go on a date to the Pirates Game and watch the fireworks at the stadium. 

Although we had awesome seat via my Dad, the game was a bit disappointing, like normal, as we were playing the Phillies and it was the only game out of the four game series that we lost.  And we lost 12-4.  And we were surrounded by a swarm of Phillies fans.  And sitting behind us were two idiot Pittsburghers who wanted everyone to hear their conversation.  If they realized how dumb they sounded, they may not have wanted to let everyone else know.  But, everyone sitting in our section now knows. 

After making it through the game (although I still had fun with my hubby), we watched the fireworks from downtown up front and personal at the stadium.  They were very exciting and they made to "proud to be an American."  Then the fireworks were over and I wasn't so sure anymore. 

We made it back to my parents house to pick up Noah around 11pm and Noah was still awake!!!  He is like his Mommy in that he is definitely a night owl.  I could tell he was tired, but he was still very pleasant and was very excited to see us (especially Daddy).  I had a good time on our date, but I am always happy to come back and see Noah's smiling face. 

Giving credit where credit is due

I enjoy teasing my husband and my husband enjoys being teased (for example, see here).  That is just reason why we are compatible and can live together happily.  But for all the things I tease my husband about, the truth is he is a really good guy.  Yes, yes, he is a sinner.  He is a gross, disgusting human being like the rest of us.  But, through the working of the Holy Spirit, God has made him into this man and this man. 
The links above are funny because most guys aren't like these videos.  But, I would laugh when I saw these commercials, because my husband is the exception to the rule.  A good guy.  A loving husband.  An outstanding father.  A hard worker.  A good provider.  A God-fearer.  Oh, and he's hot :) 
You think I am being overly sentimental?  Guess who did this handiwork?

Good Intentioned Daddy

Noah and Daddy have their "Daddy-time" when they take baths.  When I have attempted to give Noah a bath, which I admit has been scarce, I turn on the faucet and Noah exclaims, "Daddy!"  I don't mind that bath time is a Daddy chore and Daddy doesn't usually either. 
 I went to play group with Noah this morning, so after a morning filled with sunscreen, swinging, climbing, crawling, rock throwing, making wood chip angels (like making snow angels, only with wood chips), and eating mud pies, Noah needed some more Daddy-time. 
I love my husband.  I love that he gives Noah baths.  I love that he is so helpful and dries Noah off, diapers, and dresses Noah.  The only thing I am not always fond of is Brandon's outfit selection. 
As Noah entered the living room with his newly cleaned and dressed body, I was in awe of the odd apparel Daddy had selected.  When I asked Brandon what he had dressed our son in, his defense was, "What?  He is wearing turtles on the bottom and lizards on top.  I am thinking thematically here!" 
I then asked him if I put a picture on my blog and asked my readers what I thought, if they would think that the outfit was a good choice.  Brandon said, "Go ahead."  So, with his permission, would you give Brandon a thumbs up or thumbs down?  If you couldn't tell, I give it two thumbs down (although Noah is so cute, I know he could pull it off).

GPS: G.etting rid of P.arental S.houting

My husband and I hardly argue.  This is a true blessing from the Lord considering the natural inclinations of my mind and mouth.  I am sure Brandon's demeanor has something to do with keeping our home a peaceful and restful atmosphere.  Our worst fights occurred in the first year of marriage as we were both still trying to figure out what it meant to live with one another.   We had to learn what about each other needed to change and what we needed to learn to love and live with.  But all in all, our first year was a very wonderful year.
When we moved to Pittsburgh, we noticed in increasing of argumentation occurring in one locale.  Never since our first year, had we spoken to each other in such disrespectful ways.  Our son in his car seat would overhear such phrases as, "Why don't you ever follow the directions I took the time to write down?"  "If you know where you going, you drive!"  
One night, we were so lost in the Squirrel Hill (we should have been in Oakland), that Brandon literally pulled the car over, got out of the car, and made me drive as we started saying naughty things at each other in on the side of the road.  We felt like we belonged on Jerry Springer, were completely embarrassed that we had behaved this way, and said our apologies almost immediately (once we firgured out where to go, of course).  We love you Pittsburgh, but your streets are horrible for our marriage.  Couldn't you have been organized a little bit better?    
Today, we bought a GPS.  Yes, the cheapskate inside of me cringed at the idea as I can always just print directions out.  But, familial bliss is much more important than money in the bank.  Thank you 21st century technology for improving the quality of my life! 
                                                                                                                     
Researching technology can drive you mad.  There are so many options out there with so many features.  It is difficult to know what is really important to own and what you can do without.  Opinion pages can be useful on websites, but honestly, there is always someone who hates whatever they bought while another is a raving lunatic about their love for their purchase.  I wanted to buy this equipment for Father's Day for my hubby, but I wanted to get it a few days before since we are going to a friend's wedding in Indy this weekend and wanted to use the GPS then.  Well, my indecisiveness overwhelmed me, so I cracked. Instead of surprising Brandon, I let him know my plan and asked him to help me pick out which one he wanted.  After a day of deliberating, he decided he wanted this one: Garmin nüvi 205W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.  It is one of the simpler models out there, but we didn't want to over-invest since we may in the future purchase smart phones.  Normally, we would just order from Amazon, but this time around we were nervous we would not get the item in time for the Indy wedding.  So, we searched around and found that Best Buy had the equivalent system and price.
I hate Best Buy.  I would normally not give them my money because of a horrible experience with them about four years ago purchasing a laptop.  If any other store had been selling this specific unit (rather than online), I would have gone there.  But, beggars can't be choosers, so here we go, off to Best Buy. 
Well, let me tell you that my "shopper beware" fears were justified, as when we went to the store, the price of the unit was literally $40 more dollars in the store than online.  Now, we told the employee this information, and his response was "oh, you must be thinking of a different model."  No, no we aren't.  Brandon had them check the price online, and sure enough we were right.  They then backed down and said they could offer us the internet price.  So, we got the deal we wanted and we didn't have to wait for shipping. But, I just wanted to put this story out there.  I had heard that the prices online were not always the same as in-store at Best Buy.  Now, I know those rumors to be true.  This is why I order so many items on Amazon. 
So, there you go folks, a two-for-one story hour involving GPS.  How invigorating.  Do you have a GPS system that you are particularly fond of?  Does road rage equate family time rage in your household too?  Any positive/negative experiences about Best Buy or Amazon that you are just ripping at the seams to share? 

Turkey Burger Twist

My husband loves meat.  When we were first married, he would go through the freezer daily just to make sure we always had meat on hand (and no, poultry doesn't count).  One day in our first year together as man and wife, he had realized something very distressing and I thought he might hyper-ventilate.  "Honey, we have to go shopping.  We've run out of food!" Bewildered, I replied, "Run out of food?  I just went grocery shopping a couple days ago.""Yeah, but there's no meat.  We won't be able to eat anything for dinner."  Luckily for him, we lived right across the street from a Marsh.  I walked over and picked up some ground beef.  Phew!  Crises averted.  In the almost five years that we have been married, Brandon has learned to calm down about our dinner options.  I can even mix our recipes up so we don't have to eat meat every night...WOW!  So, to be creatively healthy, I try to include ground turkey in our dinners at least once a week.  This is one of our favorite simple recipes.  I hope you enjoy.     

 Even Healthier Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:  

1 lb. ground turkey (makes 4 quarter-pounders)

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup grated mozzarella

2 tablespoons flax seed (this is will add no taste, but is incredibly healthy for you)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons whiskey (may be omitted, but adds a little kick)
4 buns

 In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and then add onion and whiskey.  Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes or until edges are browned. 

While onion is cooking, in a large bowl combine ground turkey, mozzarella, and flax seed.  When onion is cooked, add this to the bowl as well (if you are cooking on an outdoor grill, you may want to add 1 egg and a cup of bread crumbs so the mixture holds together better).  Mix together ingredients in bowl thoroughly. 

Make into four turkey burger patties and cook in a large skillet on high heat for 3-5 minutes on one side, then flip for 3-5 minutes on the other side.  After, browned on both sides, turn to medium-low heat and cover with lid with middle is brown, flipping intermittently.  Don't be afraid if the outside may look a little charred, but that is only from the cheese.  It will still taste yummy!
While the burger is cooking, toast your buns.  I toast them in a toaster oven on 350 degrees for about 4-5 minutes.  Once all is complete, garnish as desired.  I made a little side salad for this meal, so I did not garnish the burger itself.

 

He made a man out of my man

When I was first married, I didn't really know much about home-making.  Growing up we ate out a lot and to be honest, I didn't care much to help my mother out when she cooked.  My husband was (and I strongly emphasis was) a better cook than me due to the two years he lived with my dear friend Bob.
Bob is one of the best men I have ever met.  He is quirky, brilliant, hilarious, generous, and most importantly, God-fearing.  I love him very much and miss seeing his smiling face since moving away from Indiana.
Now, Bob and I did not start out on the right foot together.  You see, I insulted one of his beloved opera singers.  Yes, as everyone who knows him knows, Bob loves opera.  In fact, to say that Bob loves opera sounds ridiculously like the understatement of the year.  This is a situation where one of my childhood arguments could sound plausible: Bob loves opera times infinity (and beyond!).
So, with that context, the first time Bob and I had a real conversation,  I told him I did not like Joan Sutherland's voice.  I admit that I was an arrogant and ignorant freshman and as a now older, and more seasoned singer, recant this statement.  But at the time, I had no idea of Bob's allegiance to this woman or else I would have kept my mouth shut.  I think it took Bob an entire year to forgive me for this comment (have you forgiven me yet Bob?).  He also hurdled an insult at me soon afterward and called me a mezzo-soprano.  Ouch.
After that rough first year though, I grew very fond of this dear man.  He took me to see operas in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis and had me over to dinner constantly through out my undergraduate life.  I am pretty sure he is quite fond of me too since I was his note-taker in Vince Liotta's Opera Lit class and he got an A because of my mad note-taking skills.  
Maybe I just pitied him for having to put up with my idiot guy friends who lived with him (I mean idiot in the most loving way) or maybe I just liked all the operas he took me to, but I do think Bob is the man of the century.  In all seriousness though, Bob's most important and impressive ministry here on earth is his teaching college-aged boys how to grow into men.  He teaches them how to cook, clean, bath themselves (joking, sort of), live in community with others, and most importantly, how to love in the deepest tangible ways those whom God has made physically weaker for the glory of God's kingdom.  Very few men leave Bob's house without at least a girlfriend (if not a wife) because the path through Bob's house leads to spiritual maturity and all the ladies can tell the difference between Bob's jackasses (that's what Bob calls them) and the rest of the jackasses out there.  

I know Bob was certainly not solely responsible for turning my husband into a man, but I know he had a great hand in the process.  Thank you Bob for all that you do.  Now, when are you going to grow up?
This blog post is only a snippet of the greatness of my friend Bob.  Bob can tell you about his amazing journey through life much better than I can.  He wrote a book that I highly recommend you read.  You can purchase his auto-biography on Amazon for $13.   

"With our powers combined, we are Captain Gameboard!"

I love Scrabble.  I almost always win.  My friend Curtis beat me once and my Dad beat me once, but other than that I think I have always won.  I beat my 16 year old babysitter and her mom when I was in 4th grade.  I always beat my brother, and I always beat Brandon.  I don't beat people because I am smarter, I beat people because of my killer instinct.  I know I need serious help.
My killer instinct can only take me so far, however.  For instance, when my husband and I play Trivial Pursuit, I always lose.  And when I say lose, I mean he has all 6 pieces and I have 0.  He obliterates me.  I cry, wish I would have payed more attention in Honors History, and then promptly ask him if he would like to play me in Scrabble now.  I know I need serious help.
Yet, when our powers combine, we become the ultimate board game domination couple.  We destroy our competition every time we play Cranium because Brandon is good at all the categories I struggle with and vice-versa. We gloat at the fact that we are the ultimate husband-wife board gaming couple.  We know we need serious help. 

To many, Brandon and I may not have seemed like the likeliest of pairs.  But, when we play team board games as a pair, we realize God really knew what He was doing when He put us together.        

2 dollars to the first person who can identify the t.v. show the title of this blog is imitating

"We ain't no country bumpkins like people made us out to be"

My husband and I sometimes watch 48 hours mystery together because having a 16 month old on a Saturday night equals an early bed time compared to most 20-somethings.  So, while Noah is snoozing, we enjoy an episode together.  Last Saturday, we were surprised by the verdict.  Those shows only have so much time to present the evidence, but we really felt like based on the evidence we heard, the defendant was guilty (of murdering his wife).  The defendant claimed that it was self-defense and that his wife came after him first.
When they went to interview the jury, they introduced them with a voice cue by a man with a Southern accent saying "We ain't no country bumpkins...".  The juror was trying to make the point that they weren't stupid and they came up with the right verdict (not guilty) despite receiving criticism by the local population who believed otherwise.  Later on in the episode, you come to realize that the jurors sided with the true "country bumpkin" of the case, they didn't like the smart "arrogant" lawyer of the prosecution, and they didn't think it was weird that the defendant was carrying around a knife because, "we carry knives around with us all the time...mine is bigger than the one he had on his person."  So, they were who they said they weren't.  They are country bumpkins.  It's ok to be one.  I think country bumpkins can come up with correct verdicts.  Don't deny it, own it.
I bring this t.v. show up, with the permission of my husband, to say, my husband is a country bumpkin too and he definitely owns it.  Last night, we went for a walk around Ross Park Mall.  It is a really nice mall here in the North Hills and some of the wealthiest people in Pittsburgh shop here (has a Nordstroms, Tiffany's, Gucci, etc.).  It has lower end shops too, so it's not that snobby or anything, I'm just saying that you will see people at this mall that take themselves WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.  I was wearing work out gear and pushing Noah around in the stroller, so I'm not saying I was looking too fashionable myself.  But do you know what my husband was wearing to this mall?  He was wearing gray shorts, tennis shoes, and.....an undershirt.  An undershirt!!!  No overshirt, no sports paraphernalia, just a dirty, sweat-stained, kinda-see-through, white undershirt.  Yup, his students just live down the street and anyone of his principals or student's parents could have seen him in this getup.
 But you know what?  As embarrassing as it was, my husband is a country bumpkin.  He owns it.  And even if I go red in the cheeks sometimes by his lack of awareness of the appropriate, I love that he is who he is and no one, not even me, is going to be able to change him.