Posted on Apr 27, 2009 under General |
We all have a random post every now and then. It’s when you don’t have just one big idea to talk about so it ends up being more like a list of things going on. So for those of you who like bullet points – here ya go =)
- I love how my dog is able to show such unashamed, uninhibited joy. When we get home, even if we’ve only been gone an hour Maggie is sooo excited when we let her out. She has this goofy but happy look on her face, tongue hanging out, and she runs around so excitedly that it’s almost like her front half and back legs aren’t even connected. I love that.
- My birthday is coming up in a little over 2 weeks. If you know me well you know I am crazy about birthdays. And not just mine, but I love the thought of celebrating them in general. In a recent conversation with Kevin I was telling him that I just can’t understand why people don’t like their birthdays. I know for some it has to do with dreading the aging process. Maybe I just haven’t reached that point yet…but as naive as it may sound I don’t think I will ever Not look forward to my birthday, even when I’m old. It’s a day that celebrates and honors the fact that you are alive on this earth. People are happy that you were born. How can anyone not like that??
- We have officially decided to move to Knoxville. Well, I say that like it’s a sure thing. Only God knows what is going to happen in our future and He is in control. But the point is that we have started to set actual financial goals to try and make it happen in about 2 years. It’s going to be a lot of work and it’s kind of scary to think about all the things that need to fall in to place. But Kevin and I truly feel like that is where our hearts are calling us. We want to be closer to family, and we want to start our own family there. Never thought I would want to move back to Tennessee so bad…
- I have the annual spring play coming up 2 weeks from today. My fifth graders are performing “Beauty and the Beast.” This is the point in time when I start freaking out because it’s so close and because I really don’t feel like they’re ready. But somehow it will all come together, it always does.
- Kevin will be done with his classes in 2 weeks, and then just has the summer term left before he graduates! I know he doesn’t feel this way but my how time has flown by. I am taking a music certification class in June and then we are planning a trip to the beach in July, so lots to look forward to!
Well I’m out of bullet points, so hopefully you’re a little more up to date on the happenings around here. Happy Monday!
Posted on Apr 14, 2009 under Family |
Last Thursday marked Kevin’s 25th birthday. The celebration began a day before when I surprised him with a birthday meal. My goal was to try and duplicate one of our favorite dinners: Flemings Steakhouse as closely as possible, and to try and do it for about half the cost. I am pleased to say that it turned out very well, and I did it for about 1/3 of the cost!
When we eat at Flemings (once in a blue moon) here is what we typically get: 8-12 oz. filet mignon each, Flemings potatoes to share, bread, and for dessert creme brulee each. So I got to work doing my research several weeks before and this is what I found. My brother Matthew had a steak recipe which he swears is as close to Flemings as it gets. Then I googled “Flemings potatoes” and found this recipe which I believe was spot on. And save the best for last- creme brulee recipe by Alton Brown from the Food Network. This time I used a real vanilla bean instead of just extract…and let me tell you it made all the difference in the world! The best thing about this recipe was that it made 8 total desserts and I still had mixture to spare. So the only thing I was not able to duplicate was the restaurant’s bread, but I’m pretty sure it’s made of magic and I’m not going to attempt that.
Here was the finished product:
There were two very satisfied tummies that night!
The rest of the weekend was very relaxing. We had Kevin’s parents come visit which was fun. Then on Sunday we went to the Easter service at MBCC which was awesome. Took pictures beforehand, and as usual our self portrait was one of the best in my opinion =)
Happy 25th Honey!!
Posted on Apr 02, 2009 under General |
A wonderful thing happened at Publix today. So wonderful in fact that I decided to come right home and write about it. So tonight is Thursday- date night as you already know- and I figured since I needed to stop at the store anyways, it might be nice to pick up a bottle of wine. So I grabbed my other items and a nice Chardonnay…go through the express lane…and the checkout lady DID NOT card me!! Her exact words were “I’m not going to bother asking for your i.d. I recognize you.” AAAHH what?!? Now this may not seem like a big deal to all of you normal people out there. But let’s take a step back and look at this from my perspective. I am constantly being kidded at work for looking so young. I would not at all be exaggerating if I said that at least once a day I hear someone say “Oh I thought you were a student” and then laugh. Come on people, I don’t even work in a high school for goodness sake, I work in an elementary school! Yes I am youthful but I am not a 9-year old. So quite frankly I get really sick and tired of hearing that. And yes, dear readers, I can hear you saying “but Leann, you’ll appreciate it when you’re older…take it as a compliment…” That’s probably true. But I’m not older right now. And so when it’s the 10th time this week someone has commented on how young I look I may be laughing politely on the outside, but secretly I want to say something really mean back to them.
Okay so back to the lady at Publix…I wanted to throw my arms around her and give her the biggest hug ever. I wanted to say “Thank you for validating me as a person- and a grown up. Thank you for actaully believing that I might be old enough to buy alcohol without making some sarcastic remark. Thank you for your kindness!” Now I realize that what she did was totally illegal, and would probably get in trouble if her manager knew. But oh well, today I salute you Unidentifiable Cashier Lady. You have no idea how much you just made a 23-year-old’s day. =)