My Best Friend’s Wedding

A few weeks ago, I was able to participate in my best friend from college’s most happy wedding day. It was pretty amazing.

Last week, Hubs and I took her and her new husband to the airport for their honeymoon.

Monday, we talked for a half hour next to our cars after yoga.

And last night, we got to have dinner with her and her husband and another of our lovely friends!

All of this is to say that I have some great photos from the wedding on my phone that I didn’t share here. As my mom pointed out, they’re all from the back! Well, as the wedding planner, that’s usually where I am. ;)

A few friends made her “Sassy Bride” cape for the bachelorette party and it made an appearance at the rehearsal too.

I absolutely love SLU’s College Church. So beautiful.

While the priest was giving the blessing before dinner, I saw the groom put his hand on the small of the bride’s back. It was the sweetest moment. Most couples can’t keep their hands off each other during the reception but this was so simple and innocent and sweet, I had to take a picture of it. It made me tear up during the prayer because it just shows their faith in the very simplest of gestures.

 

I love weddings. :)

Sometimes a Homily is More than a Homily

Note: my dear MIL or other very obedient Catholics might not want to read the following post…

Today was a hard day. I did something that I’ve never done before.

I walked out of Mass.

Since Hubs is out of town helping my mom in Texas, I’ve been doing a lot of nothing. I decided to change that this morning by getting up early, dressing up in a cute summer dress, and head to Mass. We haven’t been able to go much the past few weeks because of schedules and lots of things going on. So I decided to start the week off right by getting back to church.

I go to this great congregation about five minutes away from our house. We’ve been going there for about three years or so, and I’ve been lectoring there since almost the beginning. Hubs and I disagree about the music (I think the contemporary additions are nice but he leans more towards the traditional) but it’s a great place to worship.

This week, the associate pastor started his homily by discussing the controversy with the health insurance act requiring employers to provide their employees with birth control of many kinds. This is against the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching and many bishops have made very public statements against it, including the archbishop of St. Louis. Then the pastor tossed it to a video, playing on a screen set up in the sanctuary.

It was a clip of a speech the archbishop made in March to some unknown group in Jefferson City promoting the church’s side of the argument – that it impinges on the freedom of religion by forcing the church to pay for or allow their health insurance to offer a service that goes against the faith.

Although it sort of bugs me that the archbishop would be so forceful in the video (it almost looked like he was a politician running for office, for all the people standing and cheering in the room), and I understand the church’s point (but do not believe that they are right in the matter), I could not BELIEVE that the archbishop suggested that this video be shown in every parish in the diocese. They have already included a letter from the archbishop in various newsletters and bulletins, and it seems like every time I go to mass in the past few months, this is part of the homily.

I disagree with the church’s position on this particular issue. I would much rather prevent a pregnancy using birth control (and the natural family planning that they promote certainly doesn’t do it!) than encourage a woman to have an abortion. Life is precious and abortion is wrong.

And I know that the church is only promoting their position because they feel it is right. But, the issue at hand is a matter of health insurance for people on a payroll. It doesn’t force the employees to take up that line of birth control if they don’t want to. It only allows them the choice.

Choice is all we’re talking about. And isn’t impending on the employees’ freedom of religion when the employer forces them into one line of health insurance and doesn’t allow them a choice?

In any case, I don’t know if I’ll be going to church for the next little bit. I may need to let the issue settle down. It just riles me up so very much that it’s not a very relaxing situation to put myself in, when I hear it being discussed at Mass.

It makes me very sad to type those last words. My faith means a lot to me and to see cracks forming in my foundation, it’s upsetting to my core. I hope that God will show me how to reconcile the issue within myself and find solid ground again.

Fruit, Cool Whip and Sugar Cookies Make a Fabulous Dessert!

For Father’s Day, my father-in-law wanted us to hang out at the house, watch some baseball, and eat some good food. We were definitely up for that! My mother-in-law took care of most of the shopping but I offered to make the dessert. I always find a reason to make this cookie pizza each summer and I love it. My MIL thought it sounded like a good idea, so that’s what I made. And oh how I LOVE having extras of this dessert to take home!

Crust

• 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough

Topping

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Sliced fresh strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries

Glaze

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice cookie dough and arrange on greased pizza pan, overlapping edges. Press dough flat into pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, soften cream cheese, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. You can chill for a while at this point, or continue by arranging the fruit.
3. Lay the fruit out in a circular pattern, or however else you want! Then make a sauce to spoon over fruit.
4. In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, corn starch, orange juice, lemon juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, and add grated orange rind. Allow to cool, but not set up. Spoon over fruit. Chill for two hours, then cut into wedges and serve.

I found the original recipe here, but for ease of use I’ve copied it here again. Lord knows I need to post about something in order to remember it later!

Blog-aversary!

Three years ago today, I hit publish on a blog that had been an idea for me for a few years.  Please don’t read the first post because goodness, I’ve learned so much since then! ;)

I’ve posted about my love story with my dear Husband, losing my dad, being a law school spouse, and being an actor and then taking an extended sabbatical from the Acting Game.

I have shown you what a dork I am, Disney and otherwise!

I’ve crashed weddings inadvertently and dipped my toes in the wedding planning arena.

We tried to take a trip to London for the first Christmas without Dad and ended up in Spain instead.

We learned that I don’t get along with cars too well, and have a long standing issue with lots of them.

I’ve coped with the death of a parent, a move into a townhouse, Husband leaving for Hong Kong for a two week study abroad and then for France the next year for four months.

It’s been three years of ups and downs but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether you were here at the beginning or just stumbled across my little piece of the world, thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for learning more about me and my crazy ramblings, thank you for commenting. I had no idea that I would love typing out my random thoughts into Blogger every few days.

Here’s to three more years and more!

Yoga Ain’t Easy

I injured myself during yoga last week.

I should have known I was in for a world of hurt when I signed up for “Hard Body Yoga.” Especially since I’m not what you might call a good yoga do-er. I’ve been working out at our apartment gym to help me lose the weight since September (45 minutes on the treadmill is just enough time to watch an episode of Army Wives or 24 on my iPhone, propped precariously on the ledge in front of me). Since I’ve been released to do regular working out, I’ve been trying to add in the yoga as a complement to the treadmill work every other day. A friend and I signed up for their Groupon offer a few months ago and then we had to use the darn thing before it expired!

Ok, so I’m at Hard Body Yoga on Thursday – my first yoga experience by myself, without my friend – and we’re doing lots of fun weird poses, like downward dog, upward dog, sun salutations (my favorite!) and yoga good mornings. I think the last one is what did me in. Those are poses where you lean forward with a flat back, legs more than shoulder-width apart, and you twist your stretched out arms upward over you and then back to center. There are lots of those. I think that’s when it happened.

I think I injured my sternum. Or strained a tendon around there. Because there was definitely a knot.

It was kind of scary on Friday when it started hurting, because I had a difficulty getting a full breath of air. Yikes. So with the shortness of breath, the knot, Hubs was asking all kinds of questions a la House and trying to figure out what was wrong. When he asked about a tingling in my arms, I responded that I was NOT having a heart attack!

At that point, I did what any self-reliant and intelligent 28-year-old woman would do. I called my mom.

We talked through systems and decided that it probably wasn’t a heart attack, was most likely not cancer, and was definitely not a reason for an ER trip. I rested over the weekend and even did yoga yesterday. That’s when I realized it was the yoga good mornings stretches that really did me in – because they hurt!

When I asked the instructor about it, like Hubs suggested, she said that she had never heard of someone injuring their sternum like that.

Yup! I’m special! I can injury myself doing simple stretches like no one else can.

Happy Father’s Day

If today were three years ago, I would be calling my Dad to tell him about the Cardinals game from Wednesday night where I sat in a fancy box with free food.

I would have told him about the awesome home runs from yesterday’s game where I was high up in section 300 and almost passed out from dehydration because it was so hot and I ended up drinking a beer.

On our phone call, I would have told him about my best friend’s wedding from last week, and what a gorgeous bride she made. Then he would have told me that she may have been pretty, but the most beautiful bride he ever saw was me (besides my mama though!).

We would have run down the family list, me asking about all the relatives I hardly get a chance to talk to, and him asking about Hubs, and Hubs’ family. It’s what we always did.

He would ask about what books I’ve read lately and when we were going to Disney next. I would ask him how many miles he ran on the treadmill today, since he had become a health nut.

I would tell him that I love him, and he would tell me that he loved me too, and that I was his ducky.

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Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads, grandpas, and soon-to-be papas out there! Hug your children, grandchildren and adopted kids because days like this are precious.

A Year Goes by So Quickly

Two years ago today, my father entered into his Eternal Life. We know that he waits for us there, to welcome us there with all the angels. He is there with his parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles and cousins who have gone before him. We know that he even was reunited with his father who died when my dad was 10. That is an amazing thing to think about, that they are able to be reunited in their eternal life.

Our faith tell us that this is true. God is good even if we don't understand His ways.

I sure do miss my dad today.

I may have some more poignant thoughts later today, like I did last year, but I’m not sure. I won’t be able to share this day with my mom or my brother and work will be busy. Maybe that will keep my mind off things? I don’t know. I guess at some point anniversaries have to start to become just another day on the calendar? I hope not.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8

When it Rains, it Pours…

What I failed to mention in my round up of our week-long stay in the Metroplex was the activity of a Friday morning at my mom’s house.

Mom was making breakfast for brother, and we were going to spend the rest of the morning finishing up the paperwork before brother’s family conference at the rehab center. I was in the guest bedroom, doing my hair, when I heard a huge KABOOM!

When it was silent afterwards, and not even a curse word uttered, and then in the next moment heard my voice called softly, Hubs and I came running. He got to her first and she was just sitting up. The breakfast plate and coffee were everywhere but Mom was starting to get up. Once we figured out that everything was ok, we went on with our day, albeit with Mom on a bunch of pain meds.

Flash forward to last Friday, when she is still hurting and can barely walk! There was another visit to the Doc in a Box and then an ER trip on Sunday. Then the orthopedist confirmed today what the ER doc said – she has a broken bone in her hip. Mom tried to explain to me that she didn’t “break her hip” just has a broken bone in there. Same difference.

So it’s bed rest and limited mobility for the next month!

And it’s times like these that living 600 miles away from one’s mom SUCKS. That’s the only way to put it.

If you’re the type that prays or thinks good thoughts, please send them to my mama. She’s the bestest mom a gal could ask for and I hate it that she’s just hanging out in the house watching Netflix on bedrest without me! I hope she gets better and quick.

11 Things…

When the blog is somewhat quiet, sometimes a meme is order. Thanks to Mrs. Momma Bee for tagging me to try out this one!

11 Things You May Not Know About Me

1. I have an obsession with to-do lists. I can’t write them down on paper because when I do one of the tasks and check it off/cross it out/whatever, I MUST immediately re-write the ENTIRE list again, so it can be fresh and clean.
2. I can’t cook breakfast foods. Even with a recipe, breakfast foods and I just don’t get along. Instagram for photographic proof.
3. I’m working on creating my own business. It’s pretty scary and awesome at the same time.
4. I could O.D. on strawberries. We have been buying cartons of them from Costco and they don’t even have time to go bad! It’s the best time of the year.
5. I was a cheerleader in high school – I was even the flyer for the varsity team when they needed to practice new moves. That’s the one they toss up into the air and hopefully catch on the way down!
6. I was going to audition to be a costumed character at Disney, if other things hadn’t changed my path. A professor at my college really thought I would be great at it, because I’m expressive actor with my body. Hehe.
7. I have almost 600 friends on Facebook but only check the status of about 200 of them on a given day. That still seems excessive looking at it now.
8. I am trying to be a better Cardinals fan this year by paying more attention to the games as they’re played – and not asking who a particular player is because more than likely he’s been on our roster for three years.
9. I have only owned two cars in my life – and they were both red Saturns. :) Hubs’ cars don’t count.
10. I own three iPhones – an iPhone 3G that I use for podcasts, an iPhone 4 that I use every day and an iPhone 4S for work. Plus a shuffle means that I have too many things to carry around with me.
11. A weekend afternoon nap is my favorite part of the weekend, hands down.

11 Questions

1. What is your profession?

I’m an event planner by day, wedding planner by night and a sometimes-actor. I think that sounds like an odd type of super hero or something.

2. How would you describe your style?

Confused? Is that a style? I would say traditional.

3. What one make-up product can you not live without?

Mascara. I look so weird without it, but it’s worth putting it on in the morning, even if I do get raccoon eyes at the end of the day if I forget to wash it off.

4. If you could be besties with one celebrity, who would it be?

I miss Ugly Betty on TV. I think America Ferrera looks like a fun gal to hang around.

5. What is your dream vacation?

I love taking cruises. The idea that your hotel room travels with you to beautiful ports of call is just the perfect vacation for me. But the dream would be to rent a huge fancy yacht and sail it around the world, stopping whenever and wherever we’d like.

6. What magazines do you subscribe to?

Real Simple. And I’m still six months behind.

7. If you could have any special talent {that you don't currently have}, what would it be?

I would like to be able to sing in church without making dogs howl.

8. What is your favorite breakfast food?

Anything that I don’t cook? But really, a nicely done french toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar is amazing.

9. If you could do anything, what is your dream job?

Cruise director. I wanted to do that right after college, but meeting my future-husband changed the direction of my life. I think living on a cruise ship, meeting lots of different people, sounds awesome.

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

I’m gonna go with Mrs. Momma Bee – trashy TV. Although I’m trying to break myself of the habit, I still watch the Bachelor series (I’ve only been into it for a few years, though!) and the Duggars and the like. I’ve stopped watching the Sister Wives only because I can’t take it anymore.

11. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, and who gave it to you?

"Ask God's blessing on your work, but don't ask him to do it for you."
~Dame Flora Robson, English thespian

And now, to tag a few other ladies…

• E over at New Teacher New-ish Wife
• Chelsea at Across The Brandywine
• Cole at All the Small Stuff
• Sarah at Classy and Fabulous
• Mrs. Jones at Keeping Up with the Joneses 

There’s Nothing Like Going Home Again

This past week, Hubs and I took a long road trip from St. Louis to the Dallas Metroplex to help my mom out with some awesome organizing projects. Of course, we had some fun too. Since I’m exhausted after a ridiculous 12 hours in the car and a long week of working hard, I’m going to brain dump into a long picture post… and hope that I have more time to write words here and soon.

I love road trips. :) Even if we didn’t stop at the biggest McDonald’s, it’s fun to drive under it.

I love seeing that flag flying!

Sunday was brunch at Blue Mesa grill (YUM) and the art museum to see an impressionist exhibit. I ended up getting a yellow silk scarf from the museum shop. I can never resist their things!

We also stopped by Central Market to grocery shop. Oh my. My checkbook is VERY glad there is not one of these near my house. We spent a few minutes examining the cheese orphans and ended up with some yummy choices!

For Memorial Day on Monday, we were at my uncle’s house for swimming, burgers, and of course, video games. ;)

My brother is doing so amazingly well two months post-craniotomy. He just got the skull replaced a few weeks ago – he’s still got a wicked scar.

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With the long weekend behind us, Hubs and I went to work with Mom’s to do list. It was rather long. She had been building it up for a while!

First there was filing…

And then the shredding…

We donated my dad’s old suits to a shelter that has a back-to-work program. He would have liked his clothes helping people who need the hand up.

We even found some money in the pockets! Mom let us keep it, too. WEE!

Organizing makes me happy, mostly because of the shopping involved. We found the Sharpie aisle at Office Depot!

We donated a bunch of Mom’s electronics.

I burned breakfast, which tells me I just shouldn’t bother cooking it anymore.

We all yelled at the cat when he arrived with a bird for us as a present (first time he’d done that).

Hubs attempted to fix Mom’s speaker system that we’ve had since before I was born. We ascertained what the problem was but he wasn’t able to fix it. Bummer.

We got to see Paula Poundstone live in concert, er, whatever. She was SO funny!

We picked up my brother from an anime convention in Dallas one night and saw some, um, interesting costume choices.

And for the week and a half I was gone, I didn’t track one thing on Weight Watchers. I ended up the eating extravangza at Lambert’s, the most fabulously awful for you place in the Ozark’s. This was not on the diet of course, but SO GOOD. They throw you rolls, too!

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So now we’re home, the laundry is going, the snacks are put away in the pantry, the ice chest cleared out, and I’m frantically going through the DVR to make sure none of my precious shows will be deleted to make way for other shows coming down the pipeline. Ya know, the usual. How did you spend your Sunday night?