Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Injured-say what?

I can proudly say that I have been injury-free since my junior year of high school. Bad news: that streak ended last weekend. Sigh. As I was running my 6-mile as my training log told me to do, my knee started killing me. At mile 5 I almost skipped the last mile and went straight home but my pride made me finish. See, the problem I had was it would go in waves. One mile I would be in near tears, and then the other I felt like I had no issues at all. I try to convince myself when I run that it is just mental and nothing is really wrong, but then when the pain keeps shooting up and down I am reminded that "nothing is wrong" is inaccurate.

Turns out I may have done something to my IT band. The iliotibial (IT) band is a tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh. The gluteal muscles and the tensor fascia lata muscle attach to the top, and the lower part attaches to the tibia, just below the knee. It functions primarily as a stabilizer during running and can become irritated from overuse. Which is exactly what happened to me.The pain resides on the outside part of the knee or lower thigh, often worsened by going up or down stairs, or getting out of a car. Or doing anything.
So the "knee problem" is really a IT band problem which basically means my muscle in my thigh is too tight and so it constricts on my knee. The deeper issue I am having is that I am training for this half and have too much pride to quit. I just want to run it, dang it!

I am convinced of two things:
  1. If I don't run I will get fat
  2. I failed if I don't finish this training.
Okay, I am smarter than those two assumptions, but I cannot help but to feel that way. I don't like not being able to do something and I want to prove myself wrong. News flash: this is not a time to prove myself anything but a time to be wise. I bought myself a foam roller and we'll see how that goes. I just can't help but to look at my training log and be sad thinking I may not get the chance to compete.

I talked to Wes Lunt about his knee injury yesterday and we were both in agreement that it is frustrating when the whole rest of your body is fine and you have one part of it that debilitates you from competing. So frustrating. So right now I'm on the mission to try to rehab back to training and still run until I cannot.

To never giving up,
Tera

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Why Treadmills are Dangerous

So a couple weeks ago I began training for another half marathon. Crazy, I know. I get ambitious and think I can handle it and forget what a dedication it takes to train for 3 months. I just know how rewarding it is at the end of the race to know how hard you trained for it and to see the benefits of it. I'm not trying to win anything, but I love to challenge myself.

This week, as I've said before, we are kid/house sitting and so my schedule is completely off. I am now running at 4pm and if you've been outside this week at all, you'll know it has not been running weather at any point of the day, and even worse in the afternoons. Tuesday I thought I was going to die after my run. I laid on the ground under a fan for a good 10 minutes and Kai licked me all over thinking I was a gonner.

To solve my hot-weather-not-good-running-weather I decided I would suck it up and run on a treadmill. I've been anti-treadmills for quite some time because I don't think they translate well to the streets, I don't love the gym-vibe, and I prefer to run outside. I get board on treadmills but even worse, I get too competitive with myself. I start off at a good pace, but then keep pressing the up button on the speed because I want to go faster and faster and then all of a sudden the whole section of people running are staring at me. Why I do this to myself I will never know. I was supposed to run 4 miles yesterday and this is what happened:

The last mile I pressed the speed button every tenth of a mile and the last tenth of a mile I was going at a 10. Now, some may argue this is good for me because I am pressing myself, which I would agree but I'm not sure this is the best thing for me.

To being too competitive,
Tera

Monday, September 10, 2012

A picture is worth a thousand words

We're house/kid sitting all week so there won't be much blogging or sewing but we are having fun pretending we are parents of 3 kids, a dog, and learning what life could be like for us in 15-20 years.

I baked some cookies yesterday and Kai was really sad he couldn't partake:



To not always getting what we want, (I can't help but to sing in my head "but we get what we need"),
Tera

Monday, August 27, 2012

A Quarter of a Century



I realize this post is over a week overdue but the past week has been nuts. My birthday weekend was one of the top weekends of my life. For real. Everything I could have possibly wanted. It all started Friday afternoon with a text from Ryan that read "pack an overnight bag." I could hardly contain my excitement as I shoved clothing into a bag and and patiently awaited Ryan's arrival to go to the surprise location. I just love surprises and I loved that Ryan planned out the entire weekend and kept it a secret!

We drove to OKC Friday night and checked into our hotel in bricktown. He planned for us to eat sushi at In the Raw and then we headed to see the Red Hawks play a game. Oh did I mention that our hotel was right by the stadium? So close we could actually watch the game from our room.

We're big fans of suishi... I even got a thing to make sushi for my bday!
From our room!
We did decide it would be fun to go to the game and besides, we already had tickets, so we grabbed some dessert in concessions and cheered on the Red Hawks.
See our hotel?
We left early so I honestly don't even know if they won- but we just had fun with the entertainment and the experience of going to a game but let's hope they won!

My actual birthday was great- I woke up to Ryan bringing me breakfast in bed with mimosas. He let me open some gifts- one being a voucher for some running shoes, that he planned out a place to go to purchase them. As we got to the running store, I saw a sign that said "Whole Foods" then below it "Anthropologie". Eeeeek! What more could a girl want? We went shopping and taste-tested, and oohed and awwed at our new tennies. We ate at Saturn Grill and I will forever crave that flat bread for now on. It's probably a good thing we don't have one here or else I'd be a carbivore. And 300 pounds.

That afternoon I had an urge to watch Hunger Games and since it just came out that day it was near impossible to find. We literally went to about 10 different Red Box locations to find one- but no luck. The places that "had it" were broken. But alas, Nicole's roommate just purchased it that day and kindly let us watch. We had reservations at a fancy restaurant downtown but I was craving some Thai Cafe in Stillwater and missing my furry baby so we headed back home.

We ate so much good food that weekend, went shopping, open gifts, celebrated, etc. Ryan made me feel so loved and spoiled me soo much!
Top: Thai Cafe, Bottom left- Saturn grill, Bottom right- breakfast in bed
Sunday, my parents, Amber and Corbyn came after church to celebrate with us. It was so great to see them and celebrate with them. I love my family so much and my heart overflows when I get to spend time with them.
We went to Mexico Joes and I ate probably 6 flour tortillas myself. I swear I could live on bread alone- (Not literally, Jesus...).

To being a half a century,
Tera



Thursday, August 16, 2012

My Mini-Heart Attack

After work Monday I went to Joann to pick up a few items for Sew Able. As I went over to my fabrics that I buy, I saw a little sign that read "Quilter's Show Case Print's 50% off."A little piece of me died inside. I was giddy and started piling all the fabrics I possibly could onto my shopping cart. I felt like I won a lottery! WIN! SALE! Be still, my heart.

As I headed over the cut counter, people started eyeing my cart and I got embarrassed. They started asking what I was making and I reluctantly gave in and told them. Maybe because I felt like I had to defend why I had so many fabrics, or maybe because I was proud. Either way, I was getting a good deal and was too excited to think straight.

After one hour , my fabrics are all cut. Two employees had to cut all my fabric because I had so much and I would get excited with each cut and say "Let's get more!!!". Little did I know how much it would cost...

I headed over to the cash register and as she rang up my bill I started to freak out. I am a frequent customer, known by name at Joann and my bill is usually between $1-$10. As she asked me if I had any more coupons as she knows I never buy one item without a coupon, I sadly said they were on sale and cannot be combined with my VIP discount.

As my heart raced, she told me my total was $130. WHAT!? How was I about to spend that much, on fabric? She kindly told me that I saved $147.13 and that somewhat made me feel better.
Now I have a heck of a lot of sewing to do to make up this order. I better use this 3 1/2 yards of all of these fabrics! I am excited that this should limit my many of times a week I go to Joann but then that makes me sad again. The employees all said they were sad because that means they won't see me as much but I proudly told them that I'll need some zippers or something and won't be able to stay away.



Sometimes you have to spend money to have a business. I just hate spending money. Why does it have to be so painful?

To freaking out at a cash register,
Tera


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Easy Banana Bread

I love banana bread. I love it even more when we have 4 brown bananas that are about to get thrown away that turn into a yummy snack. I buy bananas every week for smoothies, but on those weeks where smoothies are not made, banana bread is!

Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients:

  •  Yellow Cake Mix
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3-4 Overripe Bananas
  • Nutella
Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, smash the bananas real good. Then add the cake mix and eggs. Whip the ingredients well and then prepare a muffin tin for the mix. I used liners but you can spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray if you don't have/want liners. Spoon in a table spoon of nutella in each cupcake. Swirl it with the spoon then bake at 350° for 22-25 minute.
 I put nutella in a plastic bag, cut the corner, and used it as a frosting! Delicous!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Weekend Review-Friends, Food, Family

This weekend was perfect. We got to see friends, family, eat some fantastic food, and relax. What more could you ask for? Friday, Ryan and I had a date night to Mexico Joes for their famous Margs and chips n' salsa. We enjoyed sitting right next to the Gundy's and me fighting the urge to go talk to him. I just don't want to be that person. Respecting their time? Maybe. Pride? Probably. So this was the second time we sat right next to them at a restaurant and said nothing. I justify it in my head to talk to him because I work with his players, so he needs to know me. No he doesn't. He really doesn't. Maybe if we run into them somewhere other than a restaurant. (Sigh.)

Saturday we met some of our friends in Tulsa for lunch then went to my parents house to swim and watch Gone Baby Gone. If you haven't seen it, go rent it. You'll be shocked it didn't get as famous as it deserves. It is heart-wrenching, leaving you asking what you would have done in that situation. I love suspense-filled, thought-provoking films. This is legit, people.

 
We did miss something very significant on Saturday, though. Saturday morning, my sister-in-law became a Kappa Delta! We made plans over a month ago to meet our friends in Tulsa, so we didn't cancel on them but celebrated via text message with Nicole and planned to reconvene on Sunday about the rush experience.

Sunday we went to church then did the usual get-ready-for-the-week thing, then had Nicole over for dinner and tell-us-everything-that-happened-during-rush conversation. I really don't feel like I was in her shoes 6 years ago (being a freshman, not going through rush). It feels like yesterday. It is so fun to be in Stillwater during her first year here at OSU. It's fun for me because I went to a university completely different than OSU and it is interesting to compare the difference. I am fervently praying her time here is enriching, empowering, and that it provides solid, faithful friends for her. I hope we can be an outlet for peace, confiding, and a piece of home for her. I'm thankful God as allowed us to be in the same place right now and I don't think it was a coincidence.

Me as a freshman and one of my still-best friends Kristie
 As a freshman, I started college with a nose ring, a tattoo on my foot, and a full heart to learn. I may not look much different than I did 6 years ago but I did leave college with three of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I pray Nicole will be able to look back 6 years from now and say the same.

Back to the weekend. Sunday, after dinner, we took Kai to the dog park, because Nicole had never been, and of course she wants to see 30+ dogs playing together. We met our friend Chelsie there and one of the ugliest dogs kept sitting on her foot.
Nothing against pugs, but you had to see this pug's eyes. So so funny.

So thankful for a wonderful weekend, rest, and for the Lord's providence.

To His faithfulness,
Tera

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Blue Like Jazz-Confession

A couple years ago, I read the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I loved it.  I was challenged, stretched, and I grew spiritually through this book. Fast forward several years and the movie is out on DVD. I could hardly wait to get my hands on this movie as I heard it was at Red Box now. Last night, we planned a date night around watching Blue Like Jazz after dinner and swimming. I drove all over town trying to find it-only one Red Box had it in stock. The good news is I had this scene while I drove:

 I picked up snacks for each of us, because movies are more fun with snacks. Our choices: Ryan-Red Vines Kai-rawhide Me- Carmel-filled dove. Mmmmm.I personally think I win.

I honestly could not remember a lot of the scenes in the movie in the book, except the confession. At the end of the movie, there is a powerful scene of Donald Miller confessing. SPOILER ALERT (Skip this part of my post if you are going to watch it!). He had spent his entire first year of college running as hard as he could from God, only to realize he could not escape. He is elected the "pope" which is basically the head of the party-ers at his university, but when he sets up the confession booth for the party people to confess their crazy-doing, he says to each person that he needs to confess first. He confesses to them that he has not accurately represented Christ and asks for their forgiveness. This is powerful, people. It was hard to see him rebel, but almost even harder to see him confess, knowing how hard that would be on one's pride. The movie ends with this and you cannot help but to think about how you represent Christ. Am I representing him well at work? Around my friends? In my marriage? 

I confess that I can not say that I truly have represented Him. Fear of what people will think gets in the way. Why am I not sold out for Christ? My whole purpose here is to proclaim his goodness and bring others to Him so why isn't that my only and sole mission? Why do I care too much about what people would think? I confess that I have failed and I want to make this better. I need to care more about the nails that were in Jesus' hands and feet and less about how people will view me. My purpose should be proclaiming Christ's fame and everything else is secondary.

Thank you, dove.
To not letting fear in the way of representing Christ fully,
Tera

Monday, August 6, 2012

Weekend Review

Phew! I am exhausted. Can I have another weekend, please? Our weekend was fabulous, don't get me wrong, but it's going to take awhile to recover. This weekend my wonderful in-laws were here, moving my sister-in-law into her apartment. We love spending time with them and are excited for them to have even more excuses to make their way to Stillwater!

We spent Friday eating, chatting, and hanging out and Saturday was moving, organizing, shopping, etc to get her moved in. It was fun to see her room get put together, meet her new roommate, and to know how wonderful of a time she is about to have. Then Saturday the fires were so insane, and Ryan was on call so needless-to-say, we did not sleep much Saturday. Sunday we grocery shopped, cleaned, said goodbye to in-laws (minus Nicole) and even took a nap! We were lacking sleep and we ate and ate and ate this weekend that we could do nothing but sleep. Kai and Ryan napped together, cuddling, snoring, all of that. I took pictures and oohed and awwed because it was one of the cutest things ever.

We're so excited to have Nicole in Stillwater. I woke up this morning thinking that's crazy she's in the same town right now and I could possibly just run into her somewhere.I spent some time Saturday sewing her a curtain for under her sink and for her room. It's fun to be able to make things for people!

I also did do something somewhat bad. I went and saw Micky- Kai's potential brother. He acted, looked, and had the same characteristics as Kai. I was in love. I kept calling him Kai on accident. He is a little smaller than Kai but who has the exact same body shape as all their siblings? I was tempted, but my rational side kicked in and told me that wouldn't be a good idea. Mainly because of the cost. (not to buy him but to keep him alive). However, I do hope he goes to a great home, because he deserves it. He is precious.
Friday afternoon a mechanic fit me in their schedule to fix our air conditioner! It took less than 20 minutes to fix it. Apparently with the extreme heat, he's seeing the same issue all over the place. I'm just thankful it works now.

I'm thankful for family, cooler weather today, and for a new week.

To having great weekends,
Tera

Friday, August 3, 2012

Sometimes God is very Funny

The Lord has a funny sense of humor. I woke up at 4pm in a complete sweat, fretting about what was wrong with me. I shuffled out of bed and immediately was convinced I was ill. I looked at the thermometer and it read 84 degrees. I was not sick. Our air condition is broken.
I checked the temperature outside when I read this and it was 84 degrees. I fear when it is over 100 degrees outside.
Remember yesterday when I blogged about being positive and looking for the good in things? As I worked out in a complete drench and showered only to not be able to stop sweating, I kept telling myself "be positive, look for the good." Nothing. I love that this was something I asked the Lord to challenge me in, and boy did he! I am thankful I am not sick, that we will possibly have some rain today, and that today is Friday. As I pulled into work I saw a beautiful image in the sky: one of those where there is clouds all around and a beam of light shining down. I felt like it was just for me, and I couldn't help but smile.

As I frantically called heating and air places this morning only to find that everyone is busy, I kept reminding myself that God is good. He is bigger than this. This is silly. There are people who do not even have a roof over their head, I'm going to live. As I wrote yesterday, it is all about perspective. It will get fixed and life will go on, but all I can do right now and work on my mindset to not be stressed and worried over something I cannot control.

I'm reminded that if I want to be challenged, I better be ready. I'm thankful for a God that listens, cares, and loves me more than I know.

To looking at the bigger picture,
Tera

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Thankful Thursday- Perspective

I can hardly believe that today is Thursday. Is tomorrow really Friday? How is that possible? I love when weeks fly by like this one has. As I was on my run this morning I was refocusing on being thankful.When I began my run I saw the moon, which was beautiful because it was full. Then on the end of my run I saw the amazing sunrise. Ah, so much to be thankful for.


Today I am thankful for:
  • Sunrises
  • Sprinklers to run through 
  • Family
  • A job that is indoors and is air conditioned
  • A job that I love
  • A puppy that makes me laugh every day
  • A husband that loves me and works hard to support our little family
So much of life is perspective. We get discontent when we are not grateful for where we are in life. I'm guilty of this so I am working on transitioning my mindset to being one that rejoices in the good and draws out the good things in life. I want to be light in the dark, I want to choose to always be thankful and not wish for things that I do not have. We live in a society where we are constantly wanting more and when we attain it, we just want more. It is a conscious choice to be thankful and I really want to be content even if it is 112 degrees outside and I long for fall. Even in those little things, I want to be content. I want to be thankful when I go on a morning run-instead of complaining about the temperature- be thankful that there are sprinklers that I get to run through. Oh and boy do I run through them. When I want to groan, I want to look for what positive things I can draw out. It is a choice.I want to make that choice and it all comes down to my perspective.

Tomorrow my in-laws are coming as my sister-in-law is moving in for college! We can hardly wait to have her in the same town as us. She better like hanging out with us because she has no option. We're thankful that she chose OSU even if we were not a part of that equation, we win because she is just that awesome. Stillwater=win. Osses=win.

To being thankful for today,
Tera

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Coconut Crusted Chicken Recipe

I absolutely love trying new recipes. I love the look on Ryan's face when he comes home and smells that I cooked something new. I find it extremely rewarding when he loves it. One of our all time favorite places to go out to eat is Thai Cafe. We went there on one of our first dates, the night we got engaged, and every time we can, because it is just that good. I have attempted to make coconut crusted chicken before, but it has never really turned out that well, but I was determined to find a new recipe so after searching pinterest I found this recipe and was sold. Try it for yoruself, it is definitely a winner, as is the blog. It is a frequent read for me now. Now, I did not make the chili sauce just becuase that does not sound that applealing to me, but next time I'm going to make a sauce like the one they serve at Thai cafe. My mouth is watering.

Coconut Crusted Chicken (adapted original recipe for two)
Ingredients: 
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 large egg
2 TB milk (or coconut milk if you have it)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

  • Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Gross. Necessary, though. Cut each breast into 3-4 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short.
  • Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut. You'll definitely need to wash your hands after this. Yuck. 

  • Place half of the vegetable oil in a large skillet and heat over medium/high heat until very warm.
  • While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut.

  • Place about 3-4 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch.  Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. Use a digital thermometer to be sure.  If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.I definitely had to bake them because I cannot seem to get chicken in a skillet cooked all the way through without burning.

  • Enjoy!
We loved it. I paired it with rice and green beans but meant to grab broccoli at the store but just forgot, so whatever you want with it will work!

The other new recipe this week is cheesy chicken and rice bake. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

To trying new recipes and loving them,
Tera




Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Weekend Review

As I posted yesterday, we had a fantastic weekend. It is so hard to start a week after your weekend is so sweet, but all good things must end. Friday we went on a double date with our favorite couple in town to see the Batman. I was surprisingly impressed and very entertained. I am still terrified of Bane and am confident that I will have nightmares for probably ever, but it was worth it. We snuck in lots of candy (shh) and froze our butts off because the theater was 5 degrees.
Saturday, we were super productive. Of course we slept in, but then we both went our separate ways and got lots done. I finished two whole orders, mailed them off, went swimming with Ryan, relaxed while Ryan cooked it up, and then we went to get sno cones. While Ryan was cooking, I made some burp cloths for a friend.I can't wait to make some for myself...but I'm patient. One day. :)
Burp cloths.
orders I completed this weekend
his and hers
After dinner we watched one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I'm too embarrassed to even write the name, but just know it was that bad. Sunday we went to church, out to eat for sushi with our favorite couple again, and then I was lavished with love as Ryan served the heck out of me. I did some more sewing and we watched Olympics and then I found this picture and am now convinced I found Kai's brother in the shelter:
Kai on left, Micky on right.
I want to bring Kai to play with Micky to see how they play together. How can they not be brothers? They both have super long tongues, bobbed tails, short hair, everrrything.

Kai got so hot this weekend that he'd come inside and lay on the tiled floor. I guess the coolness felt good to him. He's a sleepy puppy and did this a lot this weekend:
He's just such a cutie. I love our small family so much. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together this weekend and I long for next weekend just to be able to spend more quality time together. If this week is half as wonderful as our weekend was, then it's going to be one heck of a week.

To having wonderful weekends,
Tera




Monday, July 30, 2012

Learning to love

[Caveat: this IS one of those posts solely bragging about how awesome my husband is.Don't say I didn't warn you.]

I absolutely adore my husband. Yes, we've had a lot to adjust to in our first year and a half of marriage, but I love him more now than I did when we first met. He is such a strong leader in our family: spiritually, mentally, and physically. His heart is so big it makes me smile thinking about how deeply he cares for me.

If you don't know us or haven't heard our story, we had a very short dating period and even shorter engagement. We just knew from the beginning where our relationship was going and didn't see the purpose in slowing it down. I'm so thankful for the way that Ryan has challenged me, shaped me, and made me more of the woman Christ has called me to be.

Since being married to him, I feel so much more confident in my own skin. I feel more okay to just be me. He makes me feel like I matter. He makes me feel like I have a voice. He makes me want to be better at everything. I would have never in my life thought I'd open small side business, but Ryan believes in me. He supports me like no other.

This weekend, he lavished so much love on me that I'm still trying to take it all in. Saturday he said he was going to cook out, and he wanted me to just relax. Now, I do not relax very easily, but he was adamant that I do not enter the kitchen. He surprised me with a lovely dinner, one of his best meals yet.

Then on Sunday, after going to eat with one of our favorite couples, Ryan insisted on doing the cleaning. Yep, you heard me. ALL OF IT. He did the sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, deep cleaning bathroom, etc. while I went grocery shopping. Then when I got home from the store, he had a bouquet of beautiful flowers waiting for me. He knows his way to my heart. He knew I'd be stressed if we went to eat with friends because Sundays for me consist of couponing, shopping, cleaning, and prepping for the week. I love doing life with him. Then, to top it off, he hung my teacup measuring cups up on Sunday night. Love that man.

The cooking, cleaning, flower-buying man.
One more picture, just because we're so proud
We are slowly but surely learning to how lean on each other and love each other the way we are loved best. I feel most loved when Ryan does things for me-(service)- helps clean, cook, chores, buys flowers, etc. Ryan feels most loved through affirmation. He feels loved when I respect him, appreciate him, and value his time. It took me over a year to realize that me cooking, cleaning, and doing things around the house were in fact not the way Ryan feels loved. Yes, he does appreciate it, but it doesn't make him feel loved. I've had to adjust my mindset to transition what I focus my attention on, and I'm definitely still working on that. We've had to learn that the way that we feel loved is not necessarily the way our spouse fees loved.

This weekend was so good for us. So refreshing, and such a good perspective. We had a great balance of time together and time apart being productive.

To striving to be a better mate,
Tera


Friday, July 27, 2012

This week

This week has been so emotionally draining. I have barely slept thinking about Darrell's trial. I will never in my life forget the sounds, emotions, and visual that I saw after the verdict was read. It is forever imprinted in my memory. I won't say a lot about my thoughts about it only that I know there was not enough evidence.

Other than being emotionally drained, I've been sewing my tooshie off getting orders completed. I've really enjoyed it though! It's a fun rush to get off work and jump on a sewing machine and make something. I feel successful when I send an order. I feel like I've really accomplished something big. I still wonder and hope that people like them and that they are satisfied with the end result. I spend way too much time being a perfectionist but I'm resting in the fact that the people that buy them know they are handmade and it is impossible to be perfect. It was a wonderful feeling when I sold my tenth order. I love that this was never planned but this is purely for fun.

To distract my thoughts, I've become absorbed in recipes this week. I've made two new recipes that we've come to love. I made muffin tin chicken pot pies on Wednesday and Quinoa burgers with sweet potato fries on Thursday. I was actually planning on making a tutorial for one of the two but got frustrated with how long they took to make that I was in a hurry to finish by the time Ryan was off work.
Divine goodness- Muffin Tin Chicken Pot Pies
Quinoa Burgers with sweet potato fries
My precious sweet puppy that loves to cuddle
My "second job" but really my hobby.
I would make the chicken pot pies every week if it didn't take nearly 2 hours to finish, but man were they good! Click on the links if you want recipes to try yourself. I think next week I want to try coconut crusted chicken with broccoli or cheesy chicken and rice bake. I just love trying new recipes and Ryan approving. It's a big win for me.

This weekend we plan to not plan, to rest, to sleep in, at finish orders, to go on a double date and to just be. Mmhm. Amen.

To trying new things,
Tera

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Weekend Review

Yesterday was an overly emotional day for me. I wasn't able to blog because I was at the closing remarks to Darrell Williams' trial. I felt sick all day yesterday and still feel sick. I don't know if he was guilty or innocent, but all I know is that now his life is forever changed. Just like that, changed. I wasn't there for the whole trial but for the day that I was there, I left so confused because there was no hard evidence but rather a he said she said type of situation. I feel for the girls because I honestly do think this happened to them, but I'm not 100% convinced it was Darrell.

Ryan asked me "do you think it's worse to lock up an innocent man or let a guilty man free?" I think that's a good question. Obviously there are only a couple people who know what really happened that day, but I do not. My heart is heavy.

On a lighter note, we did have a wonderful, relaxing weekend, as anticipated. It was filled with swimming, baking, yummy Thai food, dog parks, sewing, wine, and watching Batman for the first time. Okay, so I had this weird deal with Heath Ledger dying and was adamant about not watching it, until Saturday. Ryan wants to see the new one and I told him I needed to watch the old one...the things you do for love.

Here's our weekend in pictures:
We were the only ones at the park so we played "soccer" We both got exhausted and it was awesome
We spent a good chunk of time at the pool this weekend, which I loved.
My version of "swimming at the pool"
We baked cookies together which consisted of flour everywhere, laughing, and a begging puppy
We watched the second batman together. All of us.
This happened.
How can you not love that face?

So now it's Tuesday and I'm thankful for a couple prominent things. I'm thankful that God is the father of justice. I'm thankful that I'm not a lawyer and I'm thankful one day all the pain on earth will be over.

To looking upward,
Tera