Friday Photo: Christ's love for us

"As the conviction of our lost and undone condition deepens, as sin's 'exceeding sinfulness' unveils, as the purity and extent of God's Law opens, as the utter helplessness and impotence of self is forced upon the mind, the glory, the worth, the suitableness, and the preciousness of Jesus will, through the teaching of the Spirit, present itself vividly to the mind and heart, as constituting the one and only foundation and hope of the soul!"

Octavius Winslow
"The Preciousness of Christ"

To Keep or Not To Keep

Obviously, this is not a photography blog.

Last week I was in Whole Foods and saw that they carried Tom's. I've wanted a pair of Tom's for a while now, but had never bought them. So I purchased these and they've been sitting in my closet ever since.

I really do want a pair, but I'm just not sure this is the pair I want. I got black because they are practical and versatile and I liked that they weren't super plain, but then again, they are pretty plain.

It's been a while since I've agonized over a shoe purchase, but it has also been a while since I've paid this much for a pair of shoes that are flat and uneventful.

Any thoughts? Should I keep them? Should I take them back and get the burlap ones or the sparkly ones? Should I keep this style and go for red instead of black? Or navy?

St. Louis Site - Upper Limits

Anyone else find some great deals through Groupon? I have and this one was another winner.

Hubs turns 29 tomorrow and so I bought a groupon to Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing Gym. I had  wanted to go there with Hubs for over a year now, but I knew it needed to be a special occasion because it wasn't the cheapest activity. With the groupon, however, we paid $15/person for a 2-hour Rock Climbing 101 class, rentals (harnesses, belay system, chalk, and shoes), and a full day of climbing (regularly $30/person).

You know me. Always ready for a new adventure and this sounded like one for sure.

In the class, we learned all the basics to climbing and belaying - tying knots, important gear, technique, etc. Then, we practiced climbing and belaying while being supervised by our instructor. Once he passed us, we were able to climb on our own.

I think Hubs was slightly nervous about me being between him and falling hundreds of feet to the crushed rubber ground, however, I didn't let him drop. Talk about a trusting sport. I found it to be pretty hard and only made it to the top one time before my arms feeling like jello and not being able to go further. Hubs, however, made it to the top 3 times on more difficult routes before feeling the jello.

We both enjoyed it so much. Not only was it a fun thing to do, but the staff and instructors were great and I'd recommend anyone to try it.

After you take the class, they give great coupons to come back and climb again. Coupons that we will definitely be taking advantage of in the next month. Also, tomorrow (1/20) they are having a sale with 50% off their yearly membership. That's a great deal if you are interested in making climbing a full-time hobby.

Friday Photo - Smoothies & Milk

New thing. Friday Photo. I'm going to try to take a random photo each Friday and post. Maybe I'll be more committed that way.

This week's photo is of my favorite breakfast these days :: protein smoothie. I am working out with P90X again and their nutrition schedule as well. I really liked my results last time (2009) and I needed to get back into a good routine. I will admit, that without Hubs doing it along side of me, I am not nearly as strict, but I still get in a solid workout about 4-5 days a week. And I've allowed myself 1 cheat day per week on the nutrition plan. I am once again surprised at how satisfied I feel following their guidelines. 

Usually, I just make my own smoothies without a recipe, but since I was using their nutrition plan, I followed their recipe (with my minor adjustments) and it is so, so good.

1 cup skim milk*

1/2 banana

1/2 c frozen raspberries** (any berry will work, but raspberries are my fave)

1 scoop protein powder***

*I started out only using coconut milk. Dairy gives me some stomach issues, so I try to cut back on it. It was very good. Then, I decided to use 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 Kalona super natural organic whole milk (grass-fed cows, pasteurized at a low temp, non-homogenized). The Kalona milk is so, so good and easier for my body to digest (still not 100% comfortable). I use 1/2 of both milks because the whole milk is $3.99/half-gallon and it is super fattening, so I limit my consumption.

** They actually call for non-frozen berries and then add ice to the smoothy. Using frozen berries makes the smoothie smoother and doesn't water the flavor down but still makes it cold. 

***I ran out of vanilla protein powder but have a TON of chocolate. So, I've been putting a scoop of chocolate in and can't even taste much of a difference.

I'm also super happy with how fast this protein shake is to make, the consistency is very drinkable, and the amount it makes is perfect. Unfortunately, it uses up my allotted amount of fruit each day, so I don't drink one every morning. 

One of the best birthday presents ever

As a birthday gift, Hubs presented me with two tickets to see Wicked at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Saint Louis. When the day finally arrived, I was so excited to finally be able to go.

It was a rainy mess on December 19 and Hubs suggested we may not want to wear our nicest clothes since we had to walk 5-6 blocks from the free parking garage to the theatre. I gave him a look that said, I'm wearing my new dress no matter what the weather is like, and we dressed up anyway. I wore my Uggs for the fast-paced walk and changed into heels when we got to the theatre.

Windblown and cold, but excited!

Once inside the theatre, I literally just stood and stared at everything. My mouth was probably hanging open. It was one of the most beautiful places I had every been. It was so hard to describe, but modern-day architecture is so plain compared to the ornate intricacy of this theatre. We found our seats on the mezzanine level and tried to take it all in. We thought the lobby was beautiful, but the theatre itself was magnificent. Carvings, columns, intricacies and details that I don't see very often.

Before the show began, we went back into the mezzanine lobby to snap a few photos. There was an area that was well-lit and it was obviously the spot to get your photo taken. My hair was disastrous, but since we rarely never get dressed up like this, we needed to document it. I had bought a dress for the first time since he graduated from dental school. Completely serious about that. We need to do fun things more often!

I was on the edge of my seat for the entire first act; and then, I couldn't wait for the second act to start! When musicals are well done, they are so beautiful. Seamless, exciting and enchanting. I had purposely stayed away from reading anything about the plot so that it would be completely new and it took me on an adventure I didn't expect. I loved the plot, the music and it made me love The Wizard of Oz even more.

It was a late night (waaaaay past my bedtime) and a cold, wet walk back to the car, but it was so worth it. I was still singing the songs in my head the next day and I could go see the show again. It was one of the best gift Hubs has ever given.

The only way he could top it would be a trip to New York City for my big 3-0 birthday in 2013!

Oh, Good Grief

I searched through my past photos to see if I had anything interesting to blog about - you know, since it has been 2 months - but I didn't have anything. Photos seem to make things more interesting though, so I pulled some random ones while I update you on our life.

If you have done much moving around, you will understand this. It is so interesting how you adapt to a new place. Without knowing it, you plant roots. For a while, I didn't think I would ever extend roots in Saint Louis and maybe I even tried not to. Now I can see that there are people and things I would really miss if we leave. That topic - what happens after residency - is a subject that is approached almost daily but never do we leave it with an answer or a leaning any certain direction. We have lots of thoughts and ideas and plans and dreams. And faster than we ever imagined, we are now down to 12 months left.

 

One thing I love here is the trees. Beautiful trees in the fall. Each Sunday as we drove to church, my face was glued to the forests searching for the brightest and boldest colors. I wasn't disappointed. 

Have I told you that I ride the MetroLink to work? It is the transit train. I drive about a mile to the station, get on the train at 7:15 and it takes me within 3 blocks of the office. AND, there is a Starbucks on my walk to the building. It's like it was meant to be. I have really enjoyed this. It is way cheaper than parking, plus I don't have the expense of gas. Sometimes I read a book, sometimes listen to a sermon and sometimes I sleep. Every once in a while I have to drive to work for one reason or another and I am reminded why I love the train - St. Louis traffic.

I am so anxious for Christmas this year. I haven't seen my brothers in FOREVER and I have NEVER met my niece. I can't wait to savor every moment spent with the family before we go our separate ways again.

 When we come back from Christmas, I am starting a new job. It came without me looking for it (which are usually the best opportunities), and I seem to think it fits me pretty perfectly. It won't be without its challenges, but I'm excited about being used in a way to serve people and the Lord. It wasn't easy to leave my old job, though. I attach myself very easily to people and positions and roles. And I have a great boss who taught me a lot about professionalism, work ethic and office management. I'm so thankful for the job the Lord has provided me with for the past 18 months and very excited about where  I'm headed now.

Hubs and I are as happy and in love as ever before. I finally understand what all those people meant when they said your love grows deeper. Its entirely unexplainable and wonderful. But what they should tell you is that it doesn't just happen. It takes purposeful, intentional loving of one another - putting each other before yourself and loving the Lord more than everything. It takes forgiveness instead of bitterness. But it is worth it.

Cheers to you all. Hopefully I'll touch base with you soon.

On the edge of a milestone

Am I the only person out there that looks back and cannot believe how fast the years have gone? We are starting to be one of those couples that has to have each other nearby when telling a story because just one of us can't remember exactly how it goes. I can look back and think, "that was sooooooo long ago."

I turned 29 yesterday and I felt 29, too. It's not a bad feeling, it just realize I'm not 24 anymore. I enjoy going to bed at a reasonable hour most nights. I have no desire to go to I-Hop at midnight anymore and I like listening to music at a reasonable volume level. I like my routine life. Don't get me wrong, I still love adventures - and we will still continue to take them - but I'm not going to fight against the age this year.

My 29th birthday was absolutely great. It started off with birthday texts bright and early. I then went to Starbucks and savored my free [would have been $7] drink and time in Psalm 119.

I spent half a day at work and then was home by 12:30 p.m. Last year I worked a full-day on my birthday and it was horrible. I didn't make that mistake this year. I actually caught up on laundry, some work, ran some errand and bought myself an outfit for dinner.

Hubs came home and he had made reservations for us at Aya Sofia, a turkish restaurant that has interested me ever since we moved to St. Louis. It is right down the street and looked really cute. We both enjoyed our dishes - I had lamb for the first time - and we were done eating by 6:45. [Did I turn 29 or 69?]

Then he gave me my birthday gift - Tickets to Wicked! I had mentioned this would be a great gift, but didn't know if it would actually happen. Now that it did, I am so excited! He picked great seats and this is something we haven't done together since we were engaged.

We couldn't find a movie to rent, so we just went home and watched some tv. Hubs needed to work on stuff for school so I got into bed and prayed. I have been blessed so very much. The Lord has seen fit to give to me in abundance more than I deserve since I know I don't deserve one bit of it. I saw that so clearly at that moment and I was brought to overwhelming gratitude and love for the Lord. So often I focus on the things I don't have, you know?

So, 29 was a good birthday and it will be a good year.