Second Year Celebration

November 20th was our 2nd Anniversary! We cannot believe how quickly time has passed, what we've learned and how we've grown along the way. :-)

To celebrate two years of life together, we went to Nashville the weekend of November 17-18 (since we were originally planning to leave for Chicago on our actual anniversary). We combined the anniversary festivities with hanging out with Austin's family in Dickson, so it was a fun, relaxing weekend.

That Saturday we took our time getting ready and made it to Nashville in time for lunch at Tazikis on West End! Anytime we're in Nashville or Birmingham, we make a point to stop there because it is so delicious! For anyone who loves Greek or Mediterranean cuisine, go there! After lunch, we went to a movie and then went back to West End to eat dinner at Maggianos! It is such a wonderful Italian restaurant and the setting was perfect for an anniversary dinner!

They have a special going on (which we HIGHLY recommend) where you can get a dinner for 2 for $40. It includes: an appetizer (or two salads), 2 traditional pasta entrees, 2 traditional entrees to take home for the next day (aghh so good!) and a dessert. Totally worth it! 

Our waiter was awesome and when he found out we were celebrating our anniversary, he brought out our delicious strawberry cheesecake with two candles on top :-) 

Following dinner, we went to the Opryland Hotel to look at the lights! We received the practical advice to park at Cracker Barrel and walk across to the hotel so we didn't have to pay the $20 parking fee, but due to an intense workout I had done two days before, my legs were really sore, so we paid the fee! Haha! 

Anyway, the decorations were so beautiful! The Opryland Hotel is already a romantic place to go, but the Christmas lights add a special touch. It was so fun to walk around, taking in all the sights and talking. It felt like we were the only people there! I took these pictures with Austin's phone, so please excuse the quality! 

Austin and I danced under this pavilion while he sang our song :-) So romantic! Pretty sure people were taking pictures of us and thought we were about to get engaged. A couple did actually get engaged a few minutes later under this same pavilion! 

It was a wonderful two-year anniversary celebration in Nashville! On the day of our actual anniversary, Austin presented me with a bouquet of yellow roses (in a vase), a bag of peppermint chocolate Ghirradelli chocolates, a card and a little box all arranged beautifully on our big pewter tray! I didn't even think to take pictures of any of this, whoops! I'm sure you're wondering what was in the box- a sweet sterling silver heart shaped ring with "a + e" engraved on top! I LOVE IT!!! More importantly, I love the one who gave it to me and what it represents :-) 

Since the traditional second anniversary gift is cotton, I got Austin some long johns- haha! I also got him a really nice hollow book/box that has an antique map on the outside. Nothing too sentimental- just fun!

Bring on Year 3! Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us! 

Thanksgiving in Chicagoland

We hope that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Early Wednesday morning, Dad, Mary and us piled into a rental van and headed north towards Chicago! 12 hours later, we rolled into my Aunt Meg, Uncle Dave and cousin's (Melissa and Katie) house in Barrington (a Northwest suburb of Chicago). Aunt Meg is my dad's younger sister and Mary and I have enjoyed getting to visit her and her family in Chicago over the years!

When we arrived, we wasted no time in making a game plan for Thanksgiving dinner!

Uncle Dave is originally from Chicago and has lots of family that lives there! We cooked dinner for 27 people, so we had our work cut out for us! Mary prepared the 22 lb. turkey by following the instructions that Aunt Meg received on her show, Kitchen Chat, from her friend, Chef Chrissie Mena. The turkey was so delicious!

While Mary was preparing the turkey, Austin and I peeled two bags of baking potatoes for the mashed potatoes! However, we only had one peeler, so I used a paring knife! Haha!

Uncle Dave's family came over about 4:30 that evening and we ate about 5:30 p.m. The menu consisted of: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing (turkey and vegetarian), corn pudding, cranberry sauce, frozen cranberry salad, sweet potato casserole, cabbage (a traditional Danish dish), green bean casserole, dinner rolls, mini cornbread muffins, fruit, apple pie, pecan pie and other assorted desserts (including chocolate covered strawberries, to Austin's delight!) It was truly a feast, and once everyone had enjoyed their meal, Austin and I couldn't help but toast in celebration with some sparkling apple cider!

Dad and his girls!

After the food was put away and the kitchen was mostly cleaned up, we went to bed and relaxed most of Friday. It was so good to sleep in! In the afternoon, we ventured outside to an adorable little historical village called Long Grove. There are quaint little shops and delicious places to eat (a bakery and an ice cream shop). They are famous for their apple cider doughnuts and apple cider. Here were are enjoying a hot cup of apple cider, which was very welcome in the midst of a freezing night!

Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we got there, but we still took a picture by the covered bridge.

After our visit to Long Grove, we met up with Uncle Dave and Melissa and Katie at the ipic movie theater in Barrington to see Lincoln. It was the coolest movie theater I've ever been in! You must make a reservation and when you walk in, it looks like a really nice restaurant and lounge. You order your dinner and when it arrives, you take it into the movie theater, which has a table that comes out in front of you, and eat during the movie. We were on the front row! The movie was really good! It was special because Uncle Dave just got elected into the Illinois State House of Representatives, which is where Lincoln served before becoming President of the United States. 

On Saturday, we went into downtown Chicago! We began our journey at the Barrington train station to catch the Metra train into downtown. It was so cold!

Austin's first train ride!

Our arrival in Chicago!

Aunt Meg loves planning surprises, and after hopping into a cab on Michigan Avenue, we arrived at the historic, beautiful Drake Hotel! Here we are in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby outside of Palm Court.

The cousins! From left to right: Katie, Mary, me and Melissa

Not only did we get to visit the Drake, but Aunt Meg treated us to High Tea in Palm Court, which was such a treat! They bring you your own individual tea pot that has the flavored tea leaves (you chose which kind) and you pour it through the strainer in your cup. Cream and sugar cubes are on the table. They brought out a three tiered plate with banana nut bread and scones on the bottom, tea sandwiches in the middle (roast beef, tomato and cucumber, turkey and egg salad) and beautiful desserts on top. 

The gorgeous Palm Court! There was a harpist playing Christmas music in the background.

We left the Drake after a delightful tea and walked several blocks to Macy's on Michigan Avenue. Melissa and Katie found cute scarves and hats and Aunt Meg bought Mary and me lovely dresses. She surprised us later with long strands of pearls that we can wear several different ways. We're looking forward to wearing our new pretty things! 

Once we left Macy's, we headed over to the Hancock Building and got into the 40 second elevator that took us up to the 96th floor! You could feel the building swaying in the wind! Most of the observation areas are inside, but there is one walkway with netting so you could feel the breeze! Here we are on top!

Here is the view of the city lights! They were so beautiful!

We rushed back to the train station for an 8:30 train via the water tower and the Hershey Store!

We had a wonderful time on our downtown adventure and look forward to going back! 

Sunday morning, we got up very early to head back to Jackson, Home Sweet Home! We appreciated the gracious hospitality of Aunt Meg and her family and look forward to seeing them again sometime soon! 

Now, we are excited to finally be in the midst of the Christmas Season! Being out of town prevented us from getting our house decorated for Christmas, but my goal is to have it done by the end of the week! Stay tuned for pictures soon!

What's for Dinner? Creamy Tomato Pasta with Spinach

This recipe is actually a result of my own experimentation in the kitchen! I am a huge recipe follower, so this is a big deal for me! I just went with the philosophy that if I mixed together ingredients that I like, I would like the dish that resulted! That's what happened, so I thought I would share!
You can tweak this as you like! (The picture was sort of an afterthought, so what we actually ate had a lot more spinach and tomatoes visible. I love the contrast of the green spinach against the orange sauce!) Anytime I cook a pasta dish, I like to serve a green vegetable- peas were what we had this time!

Ingredients

1 pkg. pasta (I used bowtie pasta)
2 big handfuls fresh spinach leaves
1 1/2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. white cooking wine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Tomato Sauce (I use Hunt's canned tomato sauce)
Alfredo Sauce
Salt
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook pasta in salted water and set aside.

Sautee onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When they start to get tender, add the cooking wine and stir.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sautee. After about 2 minutes, toss in two big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves (it will look like a lot, but it will cook down!) Place the lid on the skillet for 3 minutes. The steam will help the spinach cook down. Stir.

Add about 1 1/2 6 oz. cans of tomato sauce and stir. Then, add approximately 1/4 of a cup of alfredo sauce and stir.  Cook until the sauce gets hot (about 5 minutes). Serve over pasta and sprinkle parmesan cheese on  top!

Enjoy! This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Perseverance

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1: 2-4


It is astonishing to me that the last time I posted on our blog was on October 5th! Nearly a month later I wonder where the time went! To say that October was a busy month only captures part of it. To be completely honest, this past month has given us the opportunity to persevere through trials, like James 1 so wonderfully puts it. At one point, both of us were sick and both cars were broken down. In addition, our AC Unit needed a refill of frion (which was much more than we had in our budget!) so we rode out the last few 80+ degree Autumn Days sleeping in our guest room in a bed that is much smaller than we're accustomed to. At work, I've had something going on every minute and Austin has been adjusting to working under new leadership at his company (which has been great- but still an adjustment!). I feel like I've come home in the evenings a little more tired than normal, then I would be hard on myself for not having dinner on the table or the chores done. I think all of these things we've been facing are great examples of the everyday trials everyone faces. They are not disastrous or life-changing, but the enemy can use them to wear us down and cause us to get frustrated more easily, worry about things, and put tension in our marriages. If we let enough of these "little things" go unheeded, they can turn into big problems!

The good news about all of this is that the same circumstances that the enemy wants to use to tear us down, the Lord wants to use to make us more like Him! We have the choice! It is such a great comfort to me that we choose how to react to our circumstances- our circumstances don't control us! However, the decision to pursue Christ in our everyday trials is rarely the easy thing to do. It requires selflessness, giving up control of our lives, getting outside what is comfortable, and actively loving others with the love of Jesus.

Something I've come to realize in a more real way through these circumstances is that when my heart is not right and I am not relying on the Lord for my joy, strength and provision, it affects everything else, especially my marriage. At the end of the day, no matter how much money we have in the bank, what car I drive, how big our house is, what clothes I wear, and even the wonderful blessings of a great job, awesome friends and family, and a loving husband- none of it can satisfy my soul. The Lord must be in the center of my life- for He alone is the source of all good things! When I try to do things on my own and take control of my own life (which as a person who loves plans is a daily temptation!), it always falls short! I am so thankful that I serve a gracious God who is more patient with me than I could ever deserve. I am so thankful He sent His only Son to die on a cross for my sins, and by raising to life on third day provided salvation to all who would believe! His love is immeasurable and truly amazing!

When I dwell on the Lord, my circumstances are put into the right perspective. A passage of scripture that I read often (because I need the reminder!) is Matthew 6:25-34. It is such an encouragement through the everyday trials of life and helps provide the fuel to persevere.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do no so or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or What shall we drink?" or "What shall wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."