Last First Fall Week.

I survived the first week, but not without a few glitches.
1. The school cancelled one of the two classes I was most looking forward to. Not only was my spirit a little crushed, but I had to rearrange and find new classes.
2. While I have been known to enjoy "class shopping" to some degree, it is also stressful, because a. You either read a LOT to prepare for all of the classes you might possibly want to take or b. You risk being called on unprepared for what would make a really good first impression. I did a bit of a combo. Thankfully the classes I didn't read for, I'm not keeping.
3. I found out in another class that I thought would primarily focus on writing, I will be speaking (in a group) almost weekly. And I have a fear of public speaking, but I guess there are only a few ways to conquer our fears.
4. In introductions, (in that same class), I realized my attempts at humor may be somewhat self-depricating and I don't enjoy that.
5. I found at least two classes, during class shopping that I would have never thought I would like and I think they are going to be excellent.
6. Mr. Ruggedly Handsome and I had the pleasure of hosting my dear friend K Man and her mother for an evening and I got to go wedding dress shopping with them one afternoon! How fun! It was a special time of chatting and catching up. We hadn't seen one another in over a year, since my own wedding day, because she has been living on a different continent for two and half years and only returned permanently last week. I was thankful to them for sharing with me one of the most special times during wedding planning. And she found a gorgeous gown and she will be a stunning bride.
7. I already wrote a short paper and turned it in.
8. I got slightly organized with my sources on the big paper and I should have a great schedule to allow for much concentration on it. If you are a Believer, prayers for me to continually use that time wisely and to be motivated towards progress would be so much appreciated.
9. I didn't allow myself to study yesterday and took a Saturday Sabbath. I will be studying this afternoon, but I'm almost prepared to say I'm excited about it.
10. This coming week, I will need to complete my applications for some positions that will be filled during September for life post-grad. I have a bit to do to prepare for them, but I'm trusting the Lord with this season and the applications and that His Glory will be revealed in whatever happens.
As far as my life outside of school, I am going to be doing a Beth Moore study with some ladies this year and Handsome and I are looking forward to our second year of marriage. I think I will be limiting myself to maybe one or two posts a week on the blog, because I will feel less pressure that way and hopefully spend more time on my homework. But...
I'll still be here. And I'll still be writing...

Independence Pass. Maroon Bells.

I'm here. And I'll be writing...

Shoes Sense.

So a while back, I wrote a post about my shoes. Okay, actually it wasn’t a post about my shoes, it was a two truths and a lie post and you guys pegged me to be a high heels girl over a tennis shoes girl. I may or may not really be a high heels girl because I like them, but I don’t like wearing them. What I am though is a messy shoe closet girl.

You see, we have these teensy, tiny little closets in our home. We essentially have o storage space, except for the space that we have created through baskets and, well baskets on the bookshelves.

This lack of storage and closet space is interesting for a girl with a lot of clothes and quite a few shoes. Actually, its not that interesting. It is most infuriating and leads to a messy room (my closet is in the spare bedroom) and essentially the whole room functions as a chest of drawers / closet most of the time because its just easier than trying to maneuver around and make sense of the cutout that we call my closet.

You see why!

So basically I fight the closet and room all of the time for some sense of peace and so that I can actually use the room for its intended purpose (STUDYING) which will again become important in oh, four or so days.

So like I said, Handsome and I took a trip over his birthday and our anniversary weekend and we thankfully had a few moments to stop at The Container Store. Oh how I love that place and oh how it makes me want to be so very organized! (I am not fundamentally that organized in my brain, but when there is a system in place and I use it, I do like the simplicity it brings.)

And you will be happy to know that The Container Store had exactly what I was looking for --- an over the closet door shoe organizer! It has 24 slots for shoes! And having some flip flops, I have been able to use it for more than 12 pair of shoes! It has already simplified my closeting situation. Since I can now walk in the little hole without having to kick shoes all about to make room for my feet, I actually don’t mind hanging up some clothes! (Now, not ALL of my shoes fit, but the ones that remain on the ground are manageable or are winter shoes and are put away right now--I'll deal with them later okay?).

What a transformation!

And you see those tennis shoes... They are one of my new pairs!

HaRumph.

So yesterday was almost like a day off. A day at home in the summer when I am not on vacation but I'm also not required to be anywhere at any particular time. I had some things to do for school that I must do during the intercession and I also had household / life stuff that needs to be finished or maintained before the new semester begins. But I didn't get it all done. Nor did I want to. I apparently have a bad attitude about the school things because 1. it takes me FOREVER to get started on something and 2. it takes me longer than it should to get the tasks completed.
Do you ever have days / projects / etc. that take more energy out of you than they should?

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

So I promised a recipe (some time ago) and it is finally coming!
Handsome's birthday was August the 8th. We were planning to be out of town from August 7th(ish) to August 12th(ish), so seeing as I had nothing really going on except trip preparation on the 6th, I decided I could prepare a birthday dinner for the man. I bought some bone in rib eyes and stuff for a salad, but most importantly I bought fresh strawberries, fresh rhubarb, pie crusts (I know I was cheating), and a few other necessary ingredients for the man's birthday cake...eh hemm, pie.
Mr. Ruggedly Handsome's absolute, most favorite dessert is Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Prior to dating the man, I had never even heard of this. And after we started dating it took several trips to a local dessert bakery for me to gather enough courage to try it... but I did and now some three or four years later I have finally made one.
Some time before his birthday, but after we knew we would be on a trip, the Mr. requested a pie for his birthday. The idea of making him a pie was not that exciting to me for two reasons: 1. I don't know how. and 2. I don't really like pie. Actually, maybe three reasons with the final being 3. Handsome's mom makes him this pie for his birthday each year and everyone knows a good wife just really can't compete with a good mother as far as the man's favorite birthday dessert. (Oh, we don't all know this? Well, my man's mom is a really good cook... but I digress).
I searched the web and came up with this recipe which I thought looked simple enough to attempt, yet also delisch.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Trim outside stringy layer of large rhubarb stalks; make sure to trim away any and discard of the leaves which are poisonous; trim ends.)
• 1 cup strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of grated orange peel
• Unbaked pastry for two-crust 9 inch pie

The instructions say to cut up the strawberries and rhubarb into little-ish pieces. Mix together with the sugar, quick cooking tapioca, salt, and orange peel.

You let this sit for 10 minutes while the oven is pre-heating to 400 degrees. It will get gooey.

I rolled out one of the pre-made Pillsbury piecrusts and floured it just a bit (per package instructions because of the sugary-ness of the pie).

Then you fill the empty crust with the cut up pieces of strawberry and rhubarb mixed with all the other ingredients.

Here you need to trim the edge of the bottom crust. Then you will cover with the second pie crust...

Fold the excess of the top crust underneath the bottom crust once its on.

Then you have to press it together, make it pretty and cut slits in the top to let heat escape while cooking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30-40 minutes. And cool on a rack.

If you cut it while its hot it will be runny and gooey... but if you wait until it cools, it will stay together a little better and you can enjoy a piece. (I like mine with chocolate ice cream... He likes it with vanilla.)

So there you have it... Happy Birthday Pie for the most handsome man I know. We enjoyed it. I hope you will too.
I'm here. And I'm still writing...
P.S. I got the recipe from Simply Recipes (and their pictures are a little better than mine :)...)

Delayed by Trip.

Dear Friends, I have been out of town essentially since Friday of last week. I have uploaded photos that I promised onto my laptop and will surprise you with several new posts this week. Sorry for the delay. We took a trip that lasted longer than planned and then we visited our parents. Up and coming this week:
a recipe for a classic summer pie.pictures from a hike in one of the most photographed areas of the country.and an update on my shoes. There may be more but that is a little taste. Can't wait to read your reactions. I'm HERE! And I'm still writing...

August.

August is a busy celebratory month. Why of course it is! I am on vacation from school... No no. There are a lot more reasons for celebration than it finally becoming summer. August is perhaps the biggest celebration month on Handsome's and my's year long calendar. And that is because, with the joining of our families, we now have 7 celebrations that occur on 6 different days throughout the month! I am very excited. It will be fun and it will be busy... The anticipation is filling my soul with joy...

August 8: Mr. Ruggedly Handsome's birthday! 25th to be exact.

August 9: KB and Mr.'s anniversary (1st one!)

August 11: Mr.'s Dad's birthday

August 16: KB's parents anniversary

August 19: KB's Daddy's birthday and Mr.'s Parents anniversary

August 20: Mr.'s Mom's birthday.

We have some fun-filled celebrations ahead. And you can bet there will be pictures. (Because I am working on taking pictures for the blog, remember?) I spent the whole morning preparing for our first two celebrations.

Shhh. Don't tell but we are having Mr.'s birthday dinner tonight because Saturday night will be busy busy watching some baseball (He knows this part already). Can't. Wait. I will begin baking his requested pie (that he probably doesn't think he will be getting...) in a just a few minutes. I will definitely be reporting back. :) with photos.

Oh, and this year could very well be my last first day of school. Ever. It isn't a for sure thing because who knows what will happen in the future, but its possible. And that is both happy and sad, so I'm just gonna go ahead and add it to my list of celebrations:

August 24: KB's last first day of school.

This will be my 21st first day of school I think. I'll have to count and check with my mom, but I'm fairly certain that is the truth. Madness I tell you.

I'm here. And I'm still writing...

Survived. And Maintenance.

Just for the record... We survived softball last night without injury. And it was two games. Not just one like last week.

Praise God. My blood pressure probably couldn't have handled another injury or stressful moment related to blood and my husband. Even if it had been another one that didn't require stitches, or even superglue.

Other than that, I would like to note on the record, that I'm sort of officially on summer vacay. Wahoo! I still have some responsibilities and other school related things going on, but for the most part, no where to be in the mornings and not a lot going on.

Handsome took me out for the best. chicken. tacos. ever. (and I'm not even kidding) for lunch yesterday to celebrate. Well, actually to make up for my friend canceling our lunch plans, but essentially I thought of it as celebrating.

And I am still in desperate need of a haircut. And now my toes need a good polishing too, so maybe Thursday will be a personal maintenance day. Thursday you ask? Well, a few of those extra school things are happening today and tomorrow, so Thursday will be a good day for summering once again.

Oh, and I guess I'm losing followers. :( Sad I know, so if you are still here and you're still reading, I'd love a comment from you! And thanks for reading. :)

I'm here. And I'm still writing...

The Trust About Church Softball. Part 2.

So there we were. Sitting on the bleachers, feeling happy that I had a band-aid and listening to the other Mrs. talk about her husbands days as an EMT. Nothing to worry about, well, not for my man anyway, just for the other guy, who was still holding his knee as he hobbled around the dugout and tried to make his own injury a scene. I was apparently the only one noticing him, because the other men all seemed to be huddled at the other end of the dugout. And that is when I realized they were huddled around Mr. Ruggedly.

So I interrupted the Mrs. and said I wanted to go check on the injured. I made my way towards the dugout, passed Leftie from the outside of then fence and headed towards my apparently, very injured husband.

A team of four or five men were standing around. As I approached, they were all tending to him and he was flitting them away with his hands, because there were just too many of them bothering and tending to him. I reached my hand through the chain link fence to tug a little on his shirt. He turned towards me and he had blood caked onto his eyebrow and was streaming partway down his face. (I'll save you from the actual image).

They were asking him questions and someone asked if he had some superglue. He had some in the truck and though I told him I would go and retrieve it, he did himself.

He returned and at least one or two of the guys sprayed some into the cut. Sprayed may not be the best adjective but I can't think of a better one. It still did not look pretty.

He finished the game. They didn't win. Leftie had another guy carry his bag as they limped towards his car. He had to get a ride because he couldn't put pressure on his right leg and that is sort of a necessity for driving.

Mr. Ruggedly and I walked to his truck. He was debating what to do, because the former EMT really thought he might need stitches. I took a photo with my phone and we text it to the Mr.'s brother, who only recently begun his Emergency Medicine Residency in a state a long way from our home. Mr. then called his brother and asked him what he thought. They talked about the injury and the photo and came to the conclusion, that neither knew what to do, probably because the Dr. couldn't see a lot from the photo and because neither Mr. or I know very much about what needs stitches. Well that isn't entirely true. He has had stitches. I have never. But he couldn't see the cut very well because it was right in his eyebrow and underneath his eye and there was some mess of blood all around it and his brother had said something about injuries under the eyebrow are more delicate than injuries elsewhere.

So we left the park, unsure of what to do. We looked for an open urgent care. I called my friend a nurse. I called my friend who lives with a medical student. I worried. We got home and he cleaned the cut and took a shower. We have recently changed medical insurance and didn't have our new cards, so we didn't really want to go and wait at the Emergency Room. Not too mention, we didn't want to wait for eight hours for them to send us home stitch-less.

We ended up going to our local pharmacy to find out if they had something called a steri-strip. They don't. They only have butterflys. But... the nice pharmacy tech works a a second job at the hospital and he showed us this cut he had steri-stripped that was almost healed. We walked out and decided to return home empty handed. Perhaps the superglue would hold. Or maybe we could go to an urgent care in the morning. Either way, nothing was accomplished and he still had a wound in and under his eyebrow.

I was a little unnerved the entire evening. Partly because I don't like blood. And secondly because I wasn't really sure what to do. And thirdly because it looked like it hurt and I don't like my man being hurt.

Just as Mr. Ruggedly started to pull out of the parking lot to head towards home, the pharmacy tech came running out of the front doors of the store. "Hey man, I might actually have some steri-strips in my car from this wound. They work like a miracle because they don't come off"

Mr. hopped out of the car and followed the PT to his car. Sure enough, he had some. And he so generously gave them to my husband.

We headed home to bind up his wound. And then we headed out for pizza.

He is healing now. And I'm so thankful. Partly because I don't like him to be hurt. And secondly, because I really do like his bushy eyebrows.

I'm here. And I'm still writing...

P.S. In Part 1. I said 200 yards. I meant 200 feet. I apparently know very little about distances.