Cupcakes.

What is it about cupcakes that is just so much more exciting than cake?

As many of you know, my oven and I are not friends. The issue was never really resolved. The repairman finally admitted that my oven did not perform correctly, and sheepishly installed a new thermostat, but it only somewhat fixed the problem. Rather than being anywhere from 25-100 degrees inaccurate, it now seems to stay around 50 degrees hotter than the temperature I set it to. Oh well... I can live with this and I got tired of fighting it. I think the main problem is that it is a bottom-of-the-line appliance.

So, back to cupcakes.... Despite my lack of fondness for my oven, I was recently inspired to bake. You see, I found the perfect recipe, and I just had to try it. It was a recipe for Earl Grey Cupcakes. How amazing is that?? To a tea lover who is married to an even bigger tea lover, this was very exciting. I was  excited just thinking about it, and had to go out and purchase the ingredients.

Now, I have to admit... I have never made cupcakes from scratch. Ever. Betty Crocker is my friend. So this was a new endeavor for me. However, even though the process took way longer than I anticipated, I think they turned out really well and were super tasty.

Hangin' My Hat in Tennessee

My oh my, it has been a long time since I have written anything here, hasn't it? But  I can assure you that I have good reasons. Very good reasons.
Because life has been moving at lightening speed these past few weeks, that's why.
Because suddenly my world has changed all around me. Literally.
Because I was in the car for over 11 hours.
Because I didn't have internet for a few days.
Because I didn't know what box the camera card reader was in. 
And Because.....

...Because...  I MOVED!

Surprise :-)

It kind of took us all by surprise, really. My husband and I hadn't really planned on moving anytime soon, and he wasn't really looking for a new job when he came across this one,  but things just came together and on Monday he starts a new job that sounds like it will be just perfect for him. Once we were presented with the idea of moving to Tennessee we both felt good about it. So we went for it! And here we are.

I've known this was a possibility for a little while now, as it was a bit of a lengthy interview process for my husband, but once he got the actual job offer there was no extra time to spare as we had to move quite quickly so that he could start work. Sorry to those of you who didn't get the memo, or who I did not get to say goodbye to. There was only so much I could do and only so many people I could connect with in such a short amount of time.

We are still getting settled into our new place, and still exploring the area, but so far I like it and think that this will be a good change for us. I have been ready for a while now to say goodbye to my 45 minute to an hour long commute to work, and to the hurried life of the Washington DC area. I think I'm ready to have a little bit of country in my life. :-)

Now I just need to wait for the moving truck to get here. In the meantime I am making due with the things I have. Welcome to my dining room table...

Favorite things - My Husband.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on *achoo!* kittens.....

While kittens don't exactly make the top of my "favorite things" list, I have been thinking lately about what things do make the list. Don't get me wrong, I think kittens are cute, but the sneezing and watery eyes that come to me with the kittens doesn't make me very cute.  But there are so many things in life that I am grateful for. So many things that calm my soul and bring me joy. Some are BIG, and some are quite small and simple. Well, big and small alike, I have decided to start sharing some of them here.

Now as I consider which things will be favorites, there is one that quickly makes its way to the very top of the list. Or should I say he makes his way to the top? Yes, The first thing on my list is my absolutely amazing husband. I just love him to pieces if you haven't already guessed. :-)

Can I just tell you a little story about my husband?

I had to stay home from work sick the other day. I was a bit of a basket case, I admit,  and I wasn't able to do much for myself. He took such amazing care of me and was so very selfless. He even worked from home that day so that he could take care of me. He put me in bed, made me lunch, brought me my medicine, checked on me often, and continually asked if there was anything else he could do for me. His actions spoke LOUDLY of his love for his poor little ailing wife and I was especially grateful to have him.

The very next day I was back up to par, feeling great, and getting ready for work. But guess who was under the weather now? My husband had cared for me so selflessly the day before, and now it was my chance to take care of him. He felt just terrible -- terrible asking me to take care of him! How sweet is that? And I was more than happy to care for the man who had so lovingly cared for me.

I just love this man. I have the most ginormous amount of respect for him and he is always so supportive of me. He is strong - I bring him all sorts of jars to open for me all the time, and he just laughs and pops 'em open as if it were nothin'. Everyone looks up to him, figuratively and literally, and he's always looking out for others. He's also super smart and super creative.  I love laughing with him, or even just hanging out. I am continually amazed at how well suited we are for each other. I don't remember when we first met, but I know that God was smiling because he had created us so perfectly for each other.

Linking up with Kandi at Kandi Land today as we brag about our husbands. :-)

Valentine's Day.

Ah yes... Valentine's day... I was surprised (and yet... not really) by the amount of negative comments I heard about Valentine's day. To some it was simply an over-commercialized holiday, to others it was "singles awareness day" and to others it was just a miserable useless day because "love stinks". There is a name for these people. That name is "Party-Poopers". Seriously, folks. Its one day in the year. Get over it. If you don't like it, it'll be over soon and life will go on. But if you decide to rant about your hatred for the day, you are labeling yourself as sad and pathetic and selfish.

Here's a newsflash: Valentine's day is about giving love. Not getting it. On Valentine's day, and every day, whether or not you have a significant other, we all have people in our life who we can give love to in some way. Valentine's day may be over now, but you can still go give some love to someone. Try it. You might like it!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11 

Okay, I'm done now. *steps off soapbox*

My Valentine's day was good. Nothing like what my husband and I had planned for the day. We kinda had a wrench thrown into our plans for the day, but we made some good lemonade out of our lemons and were able to laugh together and enjoy each other. I had a few extra unexpected opportunities for giving love, and I'm sure we will look back on this Valentine's day with happy memories of the love that we have for each other.

This man rocks my world.

Would you believe....?

Over the past 2 years, my husband and I have become big fans of the 1960's TV show, Get Smart. I bought himthe entire series on DVD two years ago for Christmas, and since then we have watched the entire series through, and have started back at the beginning again. We love it! Maxwell Smart, 99, The Chief, and Siegfried have us in stitches every time. We always know what to put on if we just want to unwind with a good laugh.  

For his birthday this year I bought my husband some of the later Get Smart movies that were made, and we enjoyed revisiting some of the characters we had grown to love.

As I have mentioned before, my husband loves tea. It is a way of life for him and I think it runs through his veins. Well, this year, for part of his Christmas present, I found the perfect thing for my tea-drinking, Get Smart-lovin' husband. I didn't think something so perfect could ever exist, but it does!

Are you ready?

GET SMART TEA!

Da Bomb Dot Com.

I'm sure I am more than partial when it comes to my super-cool husband, but can I just say that I think he is da bomb dot com? For real. He's rad.

I could list a bazillion reasons why I think he's the greatest thing since sliced toast, but for now I'll just share two.

Reason One:

He's an awesome sport when it comes to my photography endeavors. There are many times when we are out at an event, park, whatever, and he would really just like to enjoy an nice afternoon with his wife. But what am I often doing? I'm on my hands and knees trying to get just the right shot. I'll say something along the lines of, "Hey, go stand over there by that pillar in front of the lighthouse." "What do you want me to do when I get there?" He'll ask. "Look suave." I'll respond. Not that its hard for him to look suave anyway. I know that posing for my camera is probably not his favorite, but he does it anyway to make me happy. And then I put my camera back in the bag, hold his hand, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the man I love.

Reason Two:

He's so stinkin' smart! I've been messing with Photoshop and with Blogger all day long trying to get the silly white corners on my rounded corner header image to be transparent. I tried different ways to crop the rounded corners, and I tried saving it in every file format I knew. I tried every thing I could think of and searched everywhere for information and found nothing that worked.

He fixed it in about 2 minutes. Smarty pants. :-)

Candid.

I've never understood the "Candid" photo. Usually when I hear about "Candid" photos it is the photos that someone snaps of a group of people, where most are unaware that their photo is being taken, several are mid-conversation with mouths gaping open, one or two have very strange or seemingly grumpy expressions on their faces, and one person realizes that there is a photo being taken so they are looking directly at the camera and smiling very cheeseily. If cheeseily isn't a word, I think it should be. I'm usually not a fan of this kind of candid photo.


This candid photo, however, made me smile. It was taken on Thanksgiving day. We had just finished our big Thanksgiving feast, and the cousins decided that we should go for an after-dinner walk. This is me... and my tall, handsome husband.


This photo was taken by my cousin, BCP.

You can never have too much.

My husband really likes tea. And by "likes" I mean that I'm convinced that it flows through his veins. I've always been a coffee fan, and always will be. But once we started dating I was quickly hooked on having an evening cup of tea. As a matter of fact, I have a mug of tea sitting dangerously close to my right elbow right now, and I should probably move it before my computer is a goner.

After a quick sip..... okay, it is no longer a threat.

Back to what I was talking about. We are officially a tea-loving household. We had too many boxes of tea to put in the cupboard in our kitchen, so we have a special box to store it all in -- a treasure chest.

I asked my husband recently if there was anything we needed from the grocery store.
"Tea!" he said. "Lots and lots of tea!" And he told me about how we were running out. I couldn't help but laugh, and then I snapped the photo above. The box doesn't shut anymore. But we were out of all the favorites. So when we went to the grocery store we picked up three or four more boxes.

We like tea.

Curls, Part 2

I told my husband the story in my previous post, about the adorable little children with the irresistible curls. He was relieved when I assured him that I had resisted my temptation and did not play with their cute little bouncing curls.

When he was a child, he had curls. And he hated them. Why? Because people played with them.

He is thankful that he no longer has curly hair. Not that they could reach his head now anyway...

Winding down.

There is something about it.
I can't quite explain it, because it won't sound like much.

Its me, sitting at my desk, puttering around with photos or this silly blog.
And its my husband, doing some kind of computer programming that all looks like gibberish to me until he shows me the super-cool end product.

We're both pretty silent, other than the occasional "Hey, check this out". But even though we don't say very much, we enjoy each other's company. I probably wouldn't be sitting here puttering around if I were by myself. I'd at lease go write from the sofa.

We each have a cup of tea at hand. Something herbal, because caffeine at night will keep us awake.

This is our home. This is our evening. And we're winding down after a long day of work.

It may not sound too special, but I'm quite fond of it.

This makes me happy.

I could stay at this park forever.

Life is peaceful here.

New Places.

I love to travel. Whether it be to the other side of the world, or discovering a new part of town I have not seen before, it is trilling to me to venture to new places.

I find airports fascinating. Such a wide range of people you come across, each with their own stories, and each with their own adventure on which they are embarking.

In a few days I will hop a plane for a destination I have never been to. Admittedly, it won't be a particular thrilling trip - I am going for business and will only be there a few days. However, there will be some time to explore and experience fun new sights.

Over the years I have seen a lot of places. Some spectacular, some simple, yet all interesting. But the lesson I have learned from all of them is that they are better when experienced with someone that you love.

As I think about what I need to bring with me for this trip, the one thing I really want to bring with me won't fit in my carry-on. My husband is a little too tall for that.

Joy.

I love this photo. I sincerely love it. Joy radiates from it. And it brings me joy to see that people are not just happy because it was a beautiful wedding. They're not just happy for us. But they are happy with us. That is invaluable.

Life wears running sneakers.

Slow down! Wait for me! I have shorter legs than you and can't keep up!

Growing up as the "baby of the family" I always thought that my family just walked really fast. I was always trying to keep up with them. I eventually figured out that it wasn't really a matter of speed, but that it was really just because they were taller than me and had longer strides as they walked, so they were able to cover more ground faster. Because I was shorter I just had to learn to walk quickly in order to keep up. Little did I know this would be preparing me for when I would marry a man who is 6'4" with a very long stride. :-)

Life has been going a million miles a minute for me. Between work, gearing up to move, and planning a wedding, I don't think I've really had a moment to sit down and truly relax in several months. Sometimes I want to yell out to life, "Slow down! I can't keep up!"

I really look forward to when things slow down a bit and I can settle in to regular life. I may be fooling myself in thinking that there is such thing as "regular life", but for right now, it a blissful idea that keeps me running.

Who am I kidding?

I’ve been a lot of places all around the way

I’ve seen a lot joy and I’ve seen a lot of pain
but I don’t want to write a love song for the world,

I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl

-Michael Franti

Nevermind. I've decided that I miss writing too much to give it up.

I've also decided that I want to write about the happy things.

The sad things will always be there, as they are a real part of life, and they may still come up here from time to time. But what I'm going to dwell on are the things that bring me joy.

The BIG reason for joy is that in 17 days I will be marrying the love of my life. He is a blessing to me beyond what words can describe, and I am honored to become his wife.

My life is about to change -- drastically. I will be living with a man. I will have an abundance of new responsibilities, and am no longer responsible to just myself. I will have to be more vulnerable than I have ever had to be in my life. These things are a risk. There is a lot that is unknown, and that is a little bit scary. But Dave is worth it. And because he is worth it, I am excited beyond reason and have great joy. :-)