Fun, Food and Festivities

Another month has quickly gotten away from us and we are headed into my favorite time of the whole year: Christmas time!! The month of November, however, is my 2nd favorite time of the year because of the celebrating that happens right around the 21st and continues on until the end leading into December. This month the celebration of my birthday and Thanksgiving were characterized by good friends and lots of yummy food, including a fair amount of chocolate.

We started off the celebration with a fantastic feast of seafood at the Olive Garden topped off by their chocolate strata cake. I highly reccommend both the seafood and the cake!

The next night, Eric invited friends over from church and we ate a yummy homemade chocolate cake as well as a checkerboard mousse cake from Trader Joe's. A week later, we are still enjoying both of those desserts! One of my friends also brought dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's--a must try for anyone who has not experienced them.

On my actual birthday we relaxed and enjoyed resting after a fun-filled weekend and being treated to In 'N' Out for lunch by some dear friends.

When it was discovered that Eric and I both got Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, we jumped up and down for joy and then tried to figure out how we would spend the 4 days together. We received one invitation to spend Thanksgiving with some friends and their family but decided instead to cook our own little meal and hang out together. We finalized our cooking plans on Wednesday night and at 7 p.m. went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients we needed. Crazy? Yes, but we were up for the task. There were no turkeys left at the store (surprise, surprise) but we got a 6 lb. breast and everything else we needed for the next day.

Our menu consisted of turkey breast cooked in the crockpot, mashed potatos and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and cranberry sauce. I'd have to say that I missed eating rolls but probably don't need the carbs. Everything was a sucess except for the stuffing. I think the recipe wasn't a good one because it didn't turn out too well. Instead of pie, we finished off the meal with more chocolate cake and ice cream.

After dinner we took a walk and talked about all the things we are thankful for this year. On the list were things like our great jobs which God provided at the exact right time, our church, our friends, our family, and each other. We are thankful for you too and hope that this coming season is filled with joy, not from getting everything you want but from knowing that your greatest need has already been met in Jesus Christ making a way to God.

Summer 2010

The date on the calendar says that summer has come to an end and autumn is here. Most of our readers have probably experienced a change in temperature, cooler evenings, signs of leaves changing, and all the distinct reminders that a change of season is at hand. Here in Tucson, however, it is still 103 degrees and drops to 75 at night. I always get a little confused because the department stores keep up with the seasons and are now selling sweaters and boots for the "fall" but around here, we generally don't have use for those until late November. Here's to hoping that fall will come earlier this year in Tucson. Eric loves the sun.

Eric and I had a great summer after transitioning out of GAP and into our new 9-5 jobs. Although we do not have the freedom to take 5 days trips anymore, we still enjoyed a few weddings, family vacation, and I got to visit San Diego with some girlfriends from church. We have also spent time investing our gifts into our church and are grateful for the friendships that we are building in our local church body. I have joined the worship team and am playing the keyboard 2 to 3 times a month while Eric is contributing his graphic artist skills and helping with the church's website. He also practices his guitar during worship practice because he wants to learn to lead worship with me in the future.

In June we celebrated our 2 year anniversary in a town called Prescott, AZ. We stayed at a B&B and went horseback riding on Saturday morning. It was a blast! We both had a great time. That evening we ate at a nice restaurant and then watched the town's local bluegrass festival for a while. The town reminded us of being back home in New England with all the quaint shops and a town square where everyone gathered to watch a live band. On Sunday we spent some time at a lake before heading back home to Tucson. God has truly been faithful to us through 2 years of marriage and we are anticipating great things for year 3!

July started a wedding marathon. It began with my trip to Rochester, NY to see my cousin, Jennifer get married. I went by myself and ended up sitting on a plane in Chicago for 4 hours due to inclement weather. I thought I wasn't going to make it at all! It was a whirlwind of a weekend and very tiring but I was so grateful to have the chance to see my family even briefly.

August was the busiest month of all. We were invaded by a clan of Reinholds--4 from New Hampshire and 1 from Houston with his now fiance, Karen. We all drove up to the Grand Canyon together and spent 2 days soaking up the beautiful scenery and time together as family. The highlight of the trip was Eric's older brother, Dan proposing to Karen during sunset at the canyon. Eric and I are thrilled to invite Karen into the family and I am excited for my first Reinhold sister to join us on December 11th, 2010.

After the Reinholds went home, I began to study to take my test to be licensed in property and casualty insurance--something I would have never foreseen but will help with my job at State Farm. I took a 3 day class, studied hard, took a practice test and got up early on a Monday morning to take my exam. I had to get higher than a 70 and I got a 69 on my practice test. Needless to say, I was rather nervous but God was gracious and I passed with an 80! Phew!

Later in August, the wedding marathon continued with Eric flying east by himself to be the best man in his friend, Joe Zoller's wedding. Eric marveled at God's grace to his friend on this wonderful day and reminded Joe and Elisa to keep Christ the King at the center of their marriage. I am so sad to have missed the beautiful day and my husband giving his toast but I got to see the happy couple when we both flew to New Hampshire two weekends later for another wedding. This time I played the piano even though I couldn't be there in time for the rehearsal. We also got to visit the ocean and see the Adlers and Reinholds on that trip which was a blessing and made for a great weekend.

Although it was fabulous to witness such beautiful weddings and see family, traveling over 3-day weekends was quite exhausting and we are grateful to have a break on our bodies and wallets before we travel to Houston in December when we will both be participating in Dan and Karen's wedding. For now, we have settled into a routine and have joined some recreational activities that are fun and good outlets for our respective interests and gifts. Eric is playing on an indoor soccer team comprised of mostly church friends and I have started singing with the University of Arizona's Community Chorus which meets once a week for rehearsal and gives two concerts a semester. It is a joy to be singing again and also very fun for me to see Eric play soccer. I've only ever heard about his skills but had never seen them in action.

We continue to be amazed at God's grace to us and by His grace, our hearts are continually being shaped to desire His glory and His name to go forth rather than our own. The glory belongs to Him for His faithfulness and goodness to us!

Spartan Warriors

This week I started a workout program called "Spartan Warrior Intense Battle Training". I am grateful to my lifting buddies and to God that each morning when I wake up and go to the gym I am not going by myself. I told my wife I was starting this program and she admitted I was getting a little chubby. (see photos)

Getting a gym membership in itself was an adventure because it is one of the few American purchases in which you can still haggle over the price. I had to go back three times to try to renegotiate my deal. I ended up saving $10 a month after several rounds of negotiation. The starting deal was $30 a month ending deal was $20 a month.

So here I am in this somewhat indecent photo. All 16o pounds of me with my 12 inch biceps. My sweetie pie measured my belly out to be 33 inches, 2 inches rounder than my waist. And I have 22 inch thunder thighs and not really any abs. At the beginning of the program I can bench 155 pounds 8 times, do 10 squats at 155 pounds and do 20 pull ups. That is my starting point. I hope I go up from here. I am taking protien twice a day, taking a multivitamin, and lifting 5 times a week for an hour. May we all become chiseled for battle.