Novembrrrrrrr

Just when I thought October was the best month of the year, November happened.

& it was glorious. BUSY, but glorious.

**I have a problem with having to tell too many details when I tell a story, maybe I'll get better about that one day, but for now please excuse me for this long winded, photo overloaded post. **

We were out of town/traveling 4 of the 5 weekends of the month.
In this order: Roomie reunion/Football game/crafting, Peanut Festival/elephant ear booth, temple trip, wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving weekend.
All of that intermingled with R being gone a lot/traveling for interviews!

5 of the 6 of my college roommates were in town so we got together for brunch. It was SO good to see everybody plus some - so much changes in such a short time!

While boys went to a football game that evening, my sister in law and I hit up Five Guys (YUM) and Hobby Lobby for Christmas Stocking supplies!
The most difficult part was choosing fabric because we kind of went in there blind.
We each spent less than $8! (always use their 40% coupon!)
We free handed a pattern and didn't look up a tutorial...which caused a few stressful moments and some questionable sewing but the end results were pretty decent!

It seemed like every time we unpacked our bags it was just so we could re-pack them.

One of R's favorite things to do is work the elephant ear booth at the Peanut Festival. 

I had never done it before but he's talked about it every year since I've known him.
This year the stars aligned and we were able to go.
COLD. busy. FUN.
He had this unadulterated grin of pure joy on his face the whole night. That was my favorite part.
We left early Sunday to be back for the primary program in our ward (church congregation).
Those sunbeams (3-5 year olds)...they're a story of their own.

         

The following week my friend Deina and I tag teamed Hobby Lobby (so we could both use coupons, of course) to get supplies for the Relief Society craft night.
My crafts after completion (decorative jars & coasters!):

           

                                                              ^^ that's red glitter paper!

That weekend we went to the Birmingham Temple. It was really neat/precious to go just before our anniversary. 

After finding out I couldn't pay somebody to embroider my stockings because they wouldn't fit on an embroidery machine, I decided to try applique...which turned into embroidering by hand...I worked on them on the bus ride to the temple and a few days later when R was out of town for an interview.

I'm pretty proud of the outcome, especially since I had no idea what I was doing.

(Seriously, I didn't even know embroidery floss was called that...or that there is a difference in the needles)

          

Our anniversary came and went just as quickly as our wedding day -

we went on a 20 mile bike ride, R watched football while I pinned, R wanted to take me somewhere nice but I wanted fried grouper and cheese grits...so we tried a place over the bridge.

It was delicious and perfect. Then we went to Starbucks and enjoyed some frapuccinos, got a red box but couldn't get any of our dvd players to work...so we played wii until we were tired of it. It was a pretty simple anniversary but I loved every bit of it and I love every bit of that husband of mine.

Also, we thawed and had a bite of one of our brunch reception wedding cake....almost died.

Our Orlando wedding cake top was MIA.

^ heart leaves were everywhere along the trail!

^ death.

We had dinner with the Smith's (K Smith is my FAVORITE, love her so). 

R and I said we'd provide the boston butt for dinner so K came and picked it up that morning because our crock pot wasn't big enough.

Well, she gets home...opens up the bag....and this is what she sees:

she asked "is this a joke? all I see is ice".....embarrassing!

Luckily R found a real boston butt that fit in our crock pot.

We all got a pretty good laugh.

not even a week later it was time to leave town, again, for THANKSGIVING.

^^ That pretty much sums that up. (sorry for the terrible terrible quality!)

 It was delicious and wonderful. & even though we were with my family for the break, we didn't miss out on the Sims' annual Christmas tree farm visit. 

AND our Orlando wedding cake top was found. I was hesitant to eat it but it was delicious.

we're fancy.

^ i LOVE this picture. Gma looks so cute.

It was a month full of love and gratitude for family, friends, love, health, memories, and yummy food.

As soon as we got back from Thanksgiving, Christmas threw up in our house...

& that just makes my whole heart swell up with happy. 

Life lesson of November: time FLIES.

Things we're looking forward to in December: Christmas, duh! A week off of work. Family time. 

October...pumpkin blizzards and lizard gizzards.

Every year October pretty much couldn't start out any better. 

The first week alone consists of my birthday and general conference.

[Other reasons I love October: breast cancer awareness month, the weather starts to turn beautiful, pumpkin blizzards return to my life, the commercialized smell of fall........the list goes on]

R woke me up before 5:30 on my birthday....to go to the gym.

I opened presents that had been sitting in my sight but out of my reach for a week. (cruel, isn't it?)

I'm pretty sure R is the most thoughtful man(/gift giver) ever -- 

beautiful & practical, just the way I like things.

My coworkers decorated my office and brought lots of goodies.

The decor consisted of me photoshopped into pictures with Usher.

Why? Because years ago I dreamt I was dating Usher...and I told my office roomie that.

It was hilarious.

I was allllllll over the restaurant birthday clubs and made out pretty well with free food and desserts.

Enough about me and my birthday - general conference came that weekend.

Some of my favorite quotes from my notes:

"look back to claim embers from growing experiences, not ashes"

-Edward Dube

"small and simple things touch the heart and bring the Spirit"

-Arnulfo Valenzuela

"believe in miracles"

-Jeffrey R. Holland

"That's exactly how I feel about the Savior. He is always near, especially in sacred places and in times of need; and sometimes, when I least expect, I feel almost like He taps me on the shoulder to let me know He loves me. I can return that love in my own imperfect way by giving Him my heart"

-Terrence Vinson

"May we show increased kindness toward one another, and may we ever be found doing the work of the Lord."

- Thomas S. Monson

& since I can't help but have tears well up in my eyeballs when I think of it, I'll share how completely sweet and tender it was when President Monson spoke about his wife passing away.. "She was the love of my life, my trusted confidant, and my closest friend. To say that I miss her does not begin to convey the depth of my feelings."...seriously makes me cry. I don't know what to say other than what a blessing to know and have a testimony of Heavenly Father's plan of salvation to get through that trial.

After General Conference I felt like our month just got so busy!

Mostly consisting of food (hence those recent recipe blog posts) and travel.

Pumpkin blizzards come to Dairy Queen every October and we love that.

(They are completely over priced but you have GOT to have one.)

We finished out the month by having the missionaries over for a creepy Halloween dinner.

Life lesson of October: We must must must must must have decided outfits for photos prior to right before the photos are being taken....otherwise, as R says, "ill wife, terrible life".

Things we're looking forward to in November: R starts interviewing for residency programs!, Prostate cancer awareness month! (dad had that), THANKSGIVING!, Our wedding anniversary ♥ ! Pretty much life.. it's exciting and wonderful. 

Thankful Thursday!

I'm thankful for Heavenly Father's tender mercies...what are those you ask? 

"...the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15)." (great talk by Elder Bednar)

Maybe it's a far stretch but when the bag of pot stickers has an extra pot sticker in it and your starving husband gets to have an extra when he breaks his fast, I can't help but think Heavenly Father has a sense of humor and feel that He really does care about every little detail of our lives. I do believe the pot sticker would fall under the "individualized blessings" category because I suuuure know R was wanting that one extra but was too nice to only leave me with 4 pot stickers for dinner. 

these suckers will stink up your freezer but OH MY are they delicious.

Happy Halloween!

oh, and for this ghoulish Thankful Thursday...I'm thankful for chocolate and the ability to taste. 

R&J's Creamy Tomato Soup (with asiago croutons)

Since it's Thankful Thursday I'll start out by saying how thankful I am for the GORGEOUS weather that's been happening! R and I played some tennis last night because he said it was too nice out to not go do s.o.m.e.t.h.i.n.g. out there. 

On to the real post...........
I only love tomato soup from 2 places - Panera and an Irish restaurant in Downtown Disney. 

I like it creamy and I don't like chunks of tomato. 

We made this recipe and it's pretty much our new favorite soup. 

R&J’s creamy tomato soup (with asiago croutons)

ingredients:

1 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 and 1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 (14 oz) cans peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half (OR substitute 3/4 tablespoon butter + 1/4 cup milk + 2 T milk) (we've used a combination of things depending on what we had available in the fridge)
1 and 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
A dash of red pepper flakes
1/4ish cup of parmesan cheese

directions:

In pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion powder. Saute until fragrant.

Add canned tomatoes (juice and all), chicken broth, sugar, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a low simmer. Cook uncovered until it has thickened.

Add the heavy cream (or heavy cream substitute listed above) and the parmesan cheese. 

Using an immersion blender (or carefully transfer soup to a blender), puree soup until there are no large chunks left. (our immersion blender broke so last time we made this we had to use the blender. Worked great). 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with asiago croutons. 

It's Like Peach Cobbler, Only Miniature.

My mom has this knack for throwing delicious things together at a moments notice.

& sometimes I try to replicate such delicious things.

I didn't want any of our homemade cinnamon raisin bread to go to waste last week so I put some in the bottom of some ramekins, poured a little milk on top, put about 5 or 6 canned peach slices on there, sprankled (it's like sprinkling, only it's more than a sprinkle) on some cinnamon, and stuck them in the the toaster oven for 10 minutes on 350 degrees.

While they "baked" we made some fresh whipped cream (since we didn't have any ice cream).

It was quite delightful. Not too sweet, but just sweet enough to satisfy our sweet teeth. 

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Sometime last month homemade bread came up and I was reminded that I left all of my yeast when I moved and hadn't gotten around to buying any since then (well over a year ago).... a week or so later R came home with some grocery bags and exclaimed, "I got you some yeast!!!" 

aka he was wanting some homemade bread. I was actually pretty excited. 

I decided to make my first loaves over General Conference weekend.

You know, since I'd have hours of time at home to wait for bread dough to rise.  

They turned out pretty decent. 

They had a nice crust but were slightly over baked and a little dense to be considered our new favorite.

I've been itching to bake some more bread but if you've ever done it, you know it's quite the process! 

I couldn't decide if I wanted to try artisan bread, cinnamon raisin bread, or cinnamon rolls - so I let the husband decide between 3 recipes I found online. 

"World's Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread" (by Lydia Holton on www.food.com) was the winner. 

I made one loaf but you can change the yield on the website and it updates the ingredient measurements.

I plumped my raisins first - pour boiling water over raisins in bowl. add vanilla. soak for 5-10 minutes.

Hoping this was what frothing yeast should look like.

Checking milk temp.

I admit that at this stage, after I had mixed and it looked like that, I wasn't so sure about the bread thing anymore.  Probably should have started with the paddle attachment. 

sticky but manageable dough in a greased bowl.

I forgot a pic but it had risen almost to the top of that blue bowl before I rolled it out and sprinkled it. 
Yours should have more cinnamon sugar mixture on it than shown in this picture.

Before the second rising.

After almost an hour.

After 30 minutes in the 350 degree oven.

After cooling & slicing. AKA a few minutes after taking it out of the oven because we're impatient & like hot bread.

It took all evening folks, but it was d e l i c i o u s. 

Would it be easier to go buy a loaf of delicious Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread from the store? Definitely. 

Cheaper? Probably. 

But there is a certain satisfaction you get while eating the 

warm, moist, sweet bread you just made that you can't buy at the store.

Recipe including changes I made (changes noted in bold): 

1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup warm water (must be between 110-115 degrees)
2 (1/8 ounce) packages active dry yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp)
1 egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup raisins (I only had 1/3 but I would suggest 1/2 cup)(Also, plump your raisins! See above)
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I had to add more. Add little by little until dough hook mounds it up)
(ingredients below are for after you let it rise the first time)
2/3 tablespoon milk
1/3 cup white sugar (a heaping 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (1 and 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon)
2/3 tablespoon butter, melted (approx.) (I just took my stick of butter and rubbed it on the baked bread for this part)

Directions:

1 Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally. (careful not to scald)
2 Remove from heat.
3 Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees.
4 Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until yeast is frothy, about 10 minutes or so (make sure your water is at the correct temperature or the yeast won't activate.) Then mix in eggs, sugar, butter salt and raisins (stir in the cooled milk slowly so you don't cook the eggs.) Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
5 Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth. (I put everything in my kitchen aid with dough hook. I didn't knead it by hand at all)
6 Place in a large, buttered, mixing bowl and turn to grease the surface of the dough.
7 Cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise (I like to let my bread rise in the oven with the light on. It has just the right amount of heat and keeps the bread out of drafts.) Allow to rise until doubled, usually about 1 1/2 hours. (I didn't cover it with a damp cloth because it got cold. I covered with dry paper towels and left bowl on counter. Let it rise the whole time!!)
8 Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick.
9 Moisten the dough with 2 tablespoons milk and rub all over the dough with your hands. (2/3  Tbsp for 1 loaf)
10 Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the moistened dough. (use alllll of the sprinkle mixture)
11 Roll up tightly (tuck under the ends)
12 The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter.
13 Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends and pinch bottom together. (disregard this step. It's for making 3 loaves)
14 Place loaves into well greased (you can use Crisco or butter for this) 9 x 5 inch pans and lightly grease tops of loaves.
15 Let rise in warm place, uncovered, again for about an hour. (don't be impatient, let it rise the full hour)
16 Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. (Mine was done and hollow sounding in 30 minutes so definitely check it early.)
17 Remove from oven and let cool on rack. 
18 Take melted butter and spread over tops of loaves. (I immediately put butter on the loaf)
19 After about 20 minutes, lay loaves on their sides and remove from pans. (I definitely did not wait 20 minutes. Maybe 5)
20 Allow to cool before slicing. (We definitely could not wait for it to cool before slicing. I think we sliced at minute 6 post oven time. Plus, who wants cold fresh bread?! Not us. Just be gentle with it for the first hot slice.)

p.s. we don't have a bread box but we stored our bread in this. it kept it soft and moist for days: 

Sims' September

Football Season.

(I could probably end the post there because that was pretty much the extent of our September)

After reuniting and getting settled back home it was a rather calm month for us.

Saturdays were spent watching football.

The Carroll's paid us a surprise visit. The weather was awful but we still enjoyed having them and baby H!

We reached our "one year since he proposed" date.

We got together with local friends a few times this month, we have met some great friends here.

R has had extra baby fever ever since the Eubanks had baby A.

He's quite the baby whisperer.

Other than that, I'll let my iPhone pictures tell our September story:

Life lesson of September: J really doesn't enjoy football season now that she's post grad and isn't at the game. R enjoys watching lots of games on tv. every weekend. all day. Luckily we're both decent at compromising. 

Things we're looking forward to in October: J's birthday! General Conference! (both of which have passed now). The beautiful weather!!! 

Thankful Thursday!

I'm thankful for a husband who loves me through my occasional "hunger tantrums". He seriously deserves an award.

Thankful Thursday!

I think I've missed a couple of weeks now, woops! 

I'm thankful for the example that little children are to us adults. Mosiah 3:19 comes to mind, 

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Groups of families take turns cleaning our church building and it was the Sims family turn a couple of weeks ago...when I meant to post this...well, R was still out of town so I went alone. Some group members come early and leave a note regarding what they've done and then there are those in the group who never show up. Well, let me just tell you that I HATE trash (it stinks.) and I hate cleaning bathrooms (especially public ones; too many unidentified fluid stains to clean up - yuck). I was ill because guess what I was about to do?! Help clean men&women bathrooms, collect trash, and then wash windows. Lucky for me, the gentleman in our group who is always there brought his little angel granddaughter who ended up being just the lesson I needed to be reminded of.  She was SO eager to help clean, even when she was face level with the urinal.  That's the kind of attitude I should have when I'm given the opportunity to clean the place where I get to go and learn about the gospel every single week. 

Kids are often the first to love and first to forgive. What a great example they are of our savior, Jesus Christ.

Take 2, Away Rotations -- A [long] double whammy

I accidentally posted this early while I was starting to write it a couple of weeks ago. (hit publish instead of save!)

 NOW it's had more added and it's official....

July was not forgotten...

I just waited until August to combine the two in order to avoid posting on this public blog 

that my heart has been away for the past 

t.w.o. m.o.n.t.h.s. (68 days to be exact)

Yep, it was awful.  

R was away doing externships for school while I was here bringing home the bacon. 

I don't think we realized how difficult it would be to be away from each other until it happened. 

It might not seem like a big deal but it was a humbling experience that I know has made me even more grateful to have him.

Two weeks into it was the Sims annual beach time in PCB.

I wished so badly that R would be there but in my mind there was no way.

He was so sad he wouldn't be there because he looks forward to it every year.

& as far as I knew, he had to be at the hospital that weekend

..and when I called him on my drive to PCB,

he had "just gotten home and was about to cook the chicken he thawed."

I arrived at PCB and when I got upstairs P said 'well, since we don't know where everybody's sleeping just put your stuff in that room' ....I walk in there to put down my stuff down and from the darkness I hear "heeyyyyyyyeyyeyey!!!!!" coming from my HUSBAND!

I was in shock. & cried.

I was so happy that trickster R surprised the heck out of me.

He said he couldn't hold in his excitement when I walked in there.

A couple of weeks later I got to surprise R! Haha!

The evening before, I was at publix while on the phone with R.

 I said I had to pick up ice-cream for my (made up) dinner plans with a family in the ward.

I went all out - even 20 minutes before I arrived to surprise him I texted him saying I had a headache and that I was right about my guess that we'd be having lasagna.

R threw a wrench in my plan when at 10pm the night before he mentioned his dinner plans at his cousin J's house. I got up with cousin J's wife, R and she helped a cousin out big time.

The new plan was for me to show up there (which would be even more surprising!)

and she made sure J was outside and she was busy when I knocked on the door so she could ask R to get the door.

He was in shock. We had a spontaneous little getaway the next day; it was perfect.

Two and a half weeks later we saw each other again.

R's Granny G passed away, peacefully.

It was sad but it's a comfort to know where she is.

The hardest things were seeing my MIL cry knowing that breaks R's heart.

& when MIL whispered in my ear "she loved you so much and was so happy R got you"

I realized how much death brings family/friends together and gives people an opportunity to serve others.

There were so many people who brought food or helped with the lunch after the funeral, etc. It was so nice.

We ended up seeing each other a lot more than we thought we would

(we thought we'd see each other zero)

but it's just not the same as being HOME together. 

The hardest thing about seeing each other was knowing we had to say goodbye AGAIN.

Talking on the phone with about a week left, R said, "I cannot wait for Friday. It's going to be like heaven." It was the best feeling to see him and know we didn't have to say goodbye again.

The day R finished his rotation, I rode down to Ma & Dad's house with Gma&Gpa H.

then rode back home with R after we spent a few days with the family :)

The weekend was amazing

(although we could have done without the ticket for turning right on red! nothing some farm fresh boiled peanuts couldn't cure.) 

Other July/August events worth noting: KA came to visit me!!! Gma & Gpa H's 60th wedding anniversary!!!, the Jones' came through town to share their art project at a local art gallery (www.sunrisegoal.org), and R's Gold Humanism Honor Society pinning ceremony.

Thoughts while being alone: 

• I am so grateful it wasn't longer. Military spouses are strong!!!
• Even though we haven't even been married a year yet, it's easy to get into a routine. I was reminded of what a blessing it is to come home to him every day and to get to serve each other throughout the week. 
• It is really easy to come home and eat cereal for dinner when there is no one else to cook for. This is likely what made me feel sick sometimes. 
• You can really psych yourself out when you're home alone. When you're in the shower and can't remember if you locked the door and then start thinking you might be hearing something in your living room. Yep. 
• I need to be more social.
• Cell phone service in our apartment it TERRIBLE. This made our phone calls very difficult sometimes. 
• I am sooo sooo glad I never endured a relationship heartbreak. You know, where you are completely in love with the person and then you break up.....because for at least the first week of R being gone, I cried every night just because I wished he was there...but I knew he was coming back..so it wasn't a permanent change...I imagine a heart break would feel terrible. 
• I get a whole lot of cleaning/organizing accomplished when I'm home alone.
• What huge sacrifices R is making for us and our future. Being away from home and working LONG hours. It's the worst to get "home" and not even have time to unwind before having to shower and get in bed to do it all over again. 
• I appreciate him so much. 
• We should never be apart that long again. ever. 

Thoughts on away rotations for medical student spouse: 

• they open doors to potential residency programs
• it gives a tiny little taste of what to expect during residency since they get to work directly with them
• it helps with getting letters of recommendation which they will need when applying to residency!!! [p.s. save money because all the applications through ERAS can get pricey]
• think about away rotations and moving costs when you decide how much loan money to accept for the semester!
• they will not get much sleep...and they miss you too...so don't be hard on them when the only time you talk some days is on their drive home. 
• they will be back. Don't forget the away rotations are temporary. 

Before R left, he got a blessing from our home teacher.

It was undoubtedly inspired and exactly what each of us needed to hear. It gave us strength and reassurance. I know it strengthened my testimony and helped me feel our Savior's love.

 A sweet promise that 'angels would take care of his angel while he was away' came in the form of occasions to see family, friends visiting, and friends needing a place to stay while coming through town.

I have never has so many plans packed into two months as these two and what a blessing that was from Heavenly Father.

I am so grateful for the priesthood and the worthy men who exercise it to bless others.

Life lesson of July/August: our eternal marriage brings and will continue to bring so many "supernal joys of life." 

Things we're looking forward to in September: being together! not traveling (our gas expenses have been out of control). R finally gets to enjoy the professional massage he got for his bday!

Thankful Thursday!

Throw Back Thursday is pretty popular these days but I'm going to TRY (forgive me if I forget a time or two....or ten) and do a Thankful Thursday to remind myself of things my life is blessed with. To kick off my thankful Thursdays..........

I am thankful that...

...I GET TO SEE MY HUSBAND TOMORROW!!!

Maybe they will typically be a little more in depth but for now, that's pretty much all I can think about.

15-16/30: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

15.

Welllllllll, it depends...

a giraffe...to see what the world looks like on their level & because I think they are beautiful.

an elephant...it's one of my&R's favorite animals. & they do cute things like stick their faces in the mud when they're mad...

a bear...because R sometimes calls me mama bear...plus, he is mi oso ("my bear" in spanish)..so if he's a bear, I'm a bear ;)

16: what are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

1) being worthy for our temple marriage/my relationship with R

2) my education/graduating with no debt b/c of scholarships and working

3) Disney internship

4) knowing when to speak up and when it is better to be kind than to prove I'm right.

5) volunteering with Relay for Life for 8 years and on the University Relay for Life executive committee for 2