Working on my housewife skills

I've been trying to cook more and tonight I made this new version of a chicken pot pie. The recipe calls for some grand Pillsbury biscuits you just plop on top and bake. Mr. Big Dog loved it, I think I can tweak it to be a little better;) The biscuits just weren't quite as done as I would have liked on the bottom, but it was still pretty good;)

I like to cook by just googling....like "chicken pot pie" then I just mix a couple recipes together or pick one I like. Or by the ingredients I have in my pantry and fridge....like "spinach, tomatoes, etc."

I'm open for any new recipes if you have any:) This housewife thing is kind of fun;)

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To be 16 again......

Really I would never want to be 16 again. Don't get me wrong it was a nice year, not a lot of grown up responsibilities and my biggest worry was homework (or really how I was going to wear my hair to a dance). But geese I'm only 31 and my body just isn't what it used to be.

Mr. Big Dog and I went skiing yesterday. I actually snowboard and he skis. And let me first preference this whole post with the fact that in the past 10 years, after being raised with Lake Tahoe skiing in my backyard, I had really only going snowboarding a handful of times. So yesterday was the first real time of the season, or really in the past decade it was one of these small handful of times.

I forgot how much I love it, I forgot how fun it can be, but more importantly I forgot how athletic and conditioned you have to be to go ALL DAY.

I felt old and rickety, and by 11:30 needed a break with the hubs at the lodge. I even got a little down and depressed after lunch about how I "used" to be good at what now seemed like an accident waiting to happen as I fearfully tried to inch down the hills. I "used" to be fearless and not afraid to get hurt with a fall, and now my thighs and calves were burning worst then they ever did on a 70 mile bike ride. Burning like they might just ripe off and I would bleed to death from a detached muscle (which by the way could never happen).

It's sad but very true that what you don't use, you will surely loose. So I had my little pity party and Mr. Big Dog cheered my grumpiness out of me about how great I thought I used to be;) And we rode almost all day at the mountain.

Now to look back at my 16 year old legs and how I would ride all day and then tackle night skiing, and then go back the next day for more.

Today my legs are sore and as I sit here thinking about it all, I can't wait to get back up there. I know I'll never be 16 again, but I like this different place I'm at at 31. I like hanging with my husband drinking hot chocolate when we get tired, and watching the little tiny kids learning with their tow rope lifts. I like being able to still do something I have done since I was 13, maybe not as well but I am still getting out there. And I like how God puts you in a place of loving what you have when you have it, and doesn't let everything be easy. Can you imagine if I was able to just jump off a sofa and ski like I was 16 again without any effort? I think you would take more for granted.

Which today I love my sore legs more than ever, I might even go for a winter run:)

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A day with the boys....well morning at least:)

I took my two favorite little men this morning to the Vancouver Library downtown. If was my first time, but the boys were veterans..... they have been there with their mommy so I wasn't completely lost with the 3 year old telling me from the back seat, "white dare auntie, and dare are bikes here too." Thinking he must be confused by some other place with bikes, I mean why would he associate the library with bikes? We headed in. And there by the front door were several bikes, which he again pointed out, "dare dare are the bikes auntie." His memory is AMAZING by the way:) And I had to laugh when he showed me the bikes;) he knew what he was talking about......

In we went and we played hard for over an hour, then picked some books out, attempted to use the bathroom...which after getting all the way in there, dropping his drawers and his little brother trying to wash his hands.....he all the sudden did not have to go:(

Eventually I registered for my Vancouver Library card so we could check out some books. I got all checked in with my card and then as we started to head out through the "book" detector by the front doors we sounded the first alarm (remember I have a 3 year old and almost 2 year old with me). Back in we went as the librarian over her reading glasses looked at us like "get back here and what did you really put in that diaper bag?" They checked us out again...okay out we go....alarm for a second time. Now I am starting to think that maybe one of my nephews has put something in the bag that I didn't notice.....but no I don't find anything.

At this point I think we are starting to cause a little scene since the boys are starting to get hungry and we keep almost leaving and then coming back it.

So third time was a charm, no alarm and off we went home with 4 books about dogs:)

In the parking lot I load them up, seat belts on, as we start to back away I ask "what do you want for lunch?"

Hot dogs was the loud smiley answer I got, so hot dogs it was:)

I can't believe how fast they grow, I remember just yesterday Carter crawling and now he has his first bike:)

I am amazed by my sisters energy with those boys, seeing as how I kind of needed a nap myself once I got home just from our adventure this morning:)

Today just reminded me......Thank goodness for little boys and I love being an Auntie:)

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Details on our surprise wedding, finally

What's the saying? A picture is worth a thousand words? Well this is our surprise wedding in order of the day:) We did not want a big wedding, but we didn't want to elope. We went back and forth with ideas and decided a surprise to everyone invited would be fun. It was hard to trick everyone, but overall I really don't think people knew it was a wedding until the last couple minutes. We loved every minute of it and the whole day was fun without a lot of pressure. I got my cake and ate it too with a beautiful wedding, minimal stress and of course I married the man of my dreams for the cherry on top!!!
We were engaged at Multanomah Falls so we decided it was a perfect place to say I DO.....





My mom made these thinking it was a "family dinner" for her to get to meet his side:) They were perfect and she found the idea on Pinterest of course:)

You need favors, plus it was cold outside......

The officiant announced "You are all here for a wedding!!! Bundle up cause we're going outside"


Mom's face = Priceless

We were waiting........
Here they come........
Again Mom = Priceless

Dinner with our families and closest friends to seal the deal.........

It was perfect.....

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God giving me strength

I can see how far I've come with how I deal with stress and obstacles in my life almost on a daily basis. But this past 2 weeks at work I have been overwhelmed by how life can change over night for someone.

I am taking care of a woman very close to my age, who shares a lot of my same dreams and goals, and the difference is she has been fighting for her life since right before Christmas.

I have been on the emotional roller coaster right aside her family. I have been in the hospital bed with her using empathy. I have cried with her and I have cried at home by myself.

It has been ROUGH to put it very mildly.

I have prayed to God more this week than I have my whole life all together. I am praying for her and I am praying for strength to help her and her family.

She will survive but her life will be forever changed. She will not be the person physically she was when she came into the hospital, and I can only imagine how this can change her mentally.

Her spirit is amazing, her smile lights up the room, and her husband and family are right there to support her.

I know none of us know why things like this happen, there is no justification and it's just not fair. But I do know she will forever be part of me, and she has reminded me like a tornado on my doorstep that you can loose almost everything over night. God is powerful, he can do anything he wants but he also knows how to give you strength when you don't see it possible.

I can't get into the details of my patient for obvious reasons, but seriously don't take your body for granted. Don't take your family and friends for granted. Don't take this life for anything but what it truly is.............. a gift.

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Happy New Year

Well we started our day off with the Portland Resolution Run followed by breakfast at Mothers Bistro. As you can see the waiter wanted to get into our picture causing me to laugh hysterically.

Today was the perfect way to start off 2012:)

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