6 Weeks Out

Yesterday marked six weeks until our baby girl comes. We've scheduled her c-section for the 25th and unless she goes breech on me and stays that way, she will be born then. (For more info. on why she will be born via c-section, check out past posts under labels c-section, VBAC, Isaac or Josh). If she is breech at the end, I'll have her a week early to avoid cord prolapse risk. So far she's stayed head-down and I'm past the point that my last two went breech at so we'll see. When she's born, I'll be 40 weeks and 1 day. I haven't gone into labor early yet...I've been very late with my last two...so I should be all right to go right up to the end. If she can't choose her birthday, I can at least give her a full forty weeks. I'd love to keep her in there as long as I can even though it'd definitely be easier to go early.

So the countdown has begun. I've got a list of things to do and we're all feeling excited about her birth. I can't believe I've made it to this point again and that we'll be meeting a new little one soon. At the end of Joshua's pregnancy (my third) I remember being really tired and at times, sick of being pregnant. I'm trying (that's the operative word-trying) to smile more, get through and be cheerful in these last weeks. I think they'll be more pleasant for everyone involved if I can just be cheerful. Isn't that what I tell my kids all the time anyway...to choose to be cheerful. I think I need to take my own advice sometimes.

So here's to the next six weeks and the absolute adventure they're going to be. I'm sure I'll be tired. I'm sure there'll be days I'm exasperated and frustrated. But I don't have long to go and I'm excited to meet our little girl. And that's all that really matters anyway.

Challah

This was our table last Saturday-very simple. It's all I can do right now but even though it's simple, it's still beautiful. Just remember, whatever you do, it doesn't have to be super elaborate...just special.

All right, it's time to talk Challah. I found this recipe in the Williams Sonoma Bread Cookbook that I actually just borrowed from a friend. I never tried any other recipe because this one turned out so great that there wasn't any need. You can check online for different recipes if you want. But this one is tried-and-true, so if you want to know you've got a good recipe, don't bother looking anywhere else. This one is excellent.

For all of you bread makers out there, I'm going to post the recipe first so that you can just get to it! For everyone else who hasn't ever tackled a project like this, don't worry! I'm going to walk you through making a Challah step by step with pictures and everything.

Also, just so you know, this will take awhile. Challah bread has three rises. Of course the better you get at it, the faster it will go. However, just a note of encouragement. I don't make this every Saturday. It makes such a huge loaf that I usually only bake a fresh Challah when we have guests or when we're out of it. Other than that, I cut my loaf up into three large chunks and freeze it. It freezes so beautifully. It's definitely the best fresh but it's pretty darn close even after being frozen. So I only make Challah bread every three to four weeks. Keep that in mind. Unless you have a HUGE family or a lot older children, you should be able to stretch your Challah out for awhile. And once you'd need to start making it more often, your kids will be older and it will be easier to do so.

So here we go.

Challah Bread (Shabbat Bread)

4 1/4-4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil or olive oil (I usually use canola)
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water
Sesame seeds

Put 3 cups flour in mixer with paddle. Make a well and pour in water. Sprinkle yeast and 1 tbsp over water. Stir water to dissolve the yeast. Let stand until foamy (10 minutes or so). Add the remaining sugar, eggs, oil and salt to the well. Beat together the dry and liquid ingredients on medium low speed about two minutes until a shaggy mass forms. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the stiff, sticky dough pulls away from the bowl sides. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed adding flour 1 tbsp at a time if the dough sticks un til smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn once to coast it. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2-2 hours. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour. Make dough into three balls. Roll into three ropes. Braid. Brush top with half of the egg mixture. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Brush loaf with remaining egg and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake until deep golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.



Put the 3 cups flour in your mixer bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour the water in. A digital thermometer works really well to make sure your water temp is right. If you don't have one, it should be very warm to the touch but not so much that you can't stick your finger in it. Sprinkle yeast on top and 1 tbsp. sugar. Also, a note on yeast. Buy it in bulk at Costco or online at www.kingarthurflour.com. It's roughly $5 for a whole pound rather than a $1 per tiny packet.


Let rise for ten minutes or so until puffy. Then add all the other ingredients to the well.


Beat together the dry and liquid ingredients on medium low speed about 2 minutes until a shaggy mass forms. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the stiff, sticky dough pulls away from the bowl sides. Switch to dough hook.

Knead on low speed adding flour 1 tbsp at a time if the dough sticks until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Transfer dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn once to coast it. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about one hour.

Make dough into three balls and then roll into three ropes.

Braid.



Brush top with egg mixture. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Brush loaf with more egg mixture and sprinkle with the seeds.

Bake until deep golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy with your family!!

Don't be discouraged if it doesn't turn out. Practice, practice and practice some more. Sometimes my Challah totally bombs and I just have to laugh. I've made it so many times now and I still make mistakes. Just keep it going and do your best. Over time, it'll get easier and better. It's totally worth it so don't give up. Your family will bless you for your efforts.

However, also know that you don't have to make a Challah bread to have a Sabbath Dinner. If you're not a breadmaker, just buy a fresh loaf of your favorite bread every week. There's nothing wrong with that at all! The point is to be together to celebrate God's goodness and you can do that over a Challah or a loaf of french bread. It's all the same.

Good luck. And if anyone makes it, do tell me how it goes. I'd love to hear from you. If you have questions, I'd also love to talk via email (if you want to) to help you get things sorted out.

Now get to it!!

Getting Started

Before I dive head-down into this topic anymore, I want to stress the importance of starting your Sabbath dinners very simply. The reason I say this is that if you don't, you will probably become overwhelmed quite quickly and will be looking for the nearest exit to quit. So therefore, first rule of thumb-- start slowly.

Also, I guess this goes without saying but I should probably mention it anyway. Make sure your husband is on board. If he's not, don't try and push it. It'll make things awkward as well as God tells us not to lead. Like all things, pray and ask God to give your husband wisdom and wait. It's best to do things as your husband leads. If he's not for it, then maybe it's not the right timing.

If you're not in the habit of eating together on a regular basis, start with that and do the best you can with work schedules and everything. Get the children used to sitting down and then commit to staying home on Saturdays. If those things are already fairly well in place, then it's time to start planning your first Shabbat (Sabbath Dinner).

Items You'll Need (this is flexible though...use your own creativity):
A Special Tablecloth-one that you'll only use for Sabbath Dinners
Cloth Napkins-they put everyone in the fancy mood; although they're not totally necessary
Wine glasses-even if you choose not to serve wine, everyone loves a nice drink in a wine glass. Look for some special cups for your kids too. I got some old mini wine glasses from my grandmother who passed away and my kids love them. Check thrift stores. (Jenny, you should be good at this-I want to know what you find!)
Candlesticks-I recently got some awesome candlesticks for Christmas but for years we used these pittily little ones from Ross. It doesn't matter. You just need any old candlesticks and two white candles.
A Bread Basket-anything will do
A Challah Recipe-I'm going to give you one next time with step by step instructions and pics.
China-This is optional. I use my china quite a bit because it's fun. When else are you going to use it? However, I didn't start that way (remember start slowly) and I don't do it all the time. It's whatever I feel I can pull off well. That is key to this dinner. Do what you can do well. I use our everyday dishes often too so don't feel bad about it.
An outline of your liturgy-check out this article that I also linked to in my last post. But know this...this is your table and your Sabbath Dinner. You can feel free to do whatever you want.
Fresh Flowers-if possible, it makes the table look nice. Or you can go with some kind of simple centerpiece. Sometimes I just stick a candle in the middle of the table when I simply have no time or a lack of creativity.

Once all of these items are dialed in, plan your first meal. Stick with something simple and a dish that everyone likes. You want this dinner to be sweet. You don't want it to be a battle. For a long time we let all food rules slide on Saturday nights since our two oldest boys were quite picky eaters. During the week they had to eat a certain amount of different things including vegetables. But if they only wanted bread on Saturdays, then we didn't force it. That was what we did. You may not choose to do that. However, know that the mood should be light. And then try and have something for dessert. It can be as simple as ice cream. We don't have dessert every night but we ALWAYS have it on Saturday. It makes the evening special. When we have company over, I usually make a nice dessert. When it's just our family, I just make sure there's something. As my boys get older, it'll be more worth it to make a big dessert but for now, it's just not worth my time when they're happy with a popsicle. But again do as you please.

Now you're ready!! Next time I'll show you how to make a Challah bread. I'm also planning to talk about tips to making your Sabbath Dinner easier, how to help your children love Shabbat and how to be hospitable with your dinners. Also, as a side note, as you get better with these dinners, you'll be able to see how you can incorporate yearly holiday traditions into your meal as well like Advent and the lead up to Easter. It all pairs together very nicely giving you a great foundation to build on. I'll talk about our experiences with that too. But all of that is what's to come. I wanted to conclude with a quote I read this morning from the Femina blog. By the way, if you don't read it, you're missing out. It's always so excellent. I thought this was just wonderful and really beautifully illustrates why we would even want to put forth this effort to bless our family.

"A valiant wife looks at her duties and assumes them with grace and dignity, and a brave heart. She does not faint or lose heart at the prospect of hard work over the course of many years. She sees the long-term impact of what she is doing and sets herself to the tasks that God has given her, like bringing up children, lodging strangers, washing the feet of the saints, and all those other things that fall neatly into the category of good works.

A valiant woman is one of the means that God uses to remake the world. She is the glory of the man. She takes what he gives her and glorifies it. He gives her a house, and she glorifies it and makes it into a home. He gives her a table, and she glorifies it with food, nurturing and feeding the faces around it. A husband makes love to his wife, and she mysteriously glorifies it, and a child is born. This is what God has made women to do. A valiant woman glorifies and beautifies. And it overflows." Nancy Wilson

And that my friends, is why we do what we do.

Sabbath Living

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Psalm 128:1-3

About three and a half years ago, shortly before our second child was born, we began a tradition in our home that has become one of those things that has been life-changing for us. What was it you ask? Well, we instituted a weekly Sabbath Dinner on Saturday nights at our home. I'm sure you're thinking, what is a Sabbath Dinner and do you really do it every single Saturday night? Well, I'm going to spend a couple of blog posts talking about our Sabbath Dinner so that you all know what I'm talking about and to answer the second question...yes, we do it every Saturday. Sometimes there are exceptions like being out of town or a family birthday party, but other than that, you can find us with the candles lit, a Challah bread and us all enjoying our Sabbath meal, every single Saturday. We see it as a "get to" tradition rather than a "must do" tradition. Both my husband and I believe that the institution of this meal has been one of the most important and beneficial things we've done for our family life. Maybe after reading about it, you'll be encouraged to go and start your own, with your own family's flair.

This is how it all started. I've always been interested in Jewish culture especially since Christianity literally came out of Judaism. I think it is fascinating to look at their festivals and how much of what God instituted for them thousands of years ago points to Jesus, the Messiah. Someday I will eventually get around to starting a Passover meal (with Christ at the center) in our home right before Easter, but I haven't been able to pull off such a feat just yet! Also, when I was in high school, I had a few roles in plays/musicals, where I played a Jewish girl. As a sophomore, I was Chavah in Fiddler on the Roof (the third daughter who married the Christian...yikes!) and when I was a senior, I played Raja, whose true story of survival in a Nazi concentration camp was beautifully recounted in I Never Saw Another Butterfly. Both roles affected me tremendously and I longed to know more about Jewish culture and its connections with my own faith.

A couple of years ago I read an article in Above Rubies about the Sabbath meal and how the author had instituted a weekly Sabbath meal into their family's routine. I was intrigued. So, I brought it to my husband and he said we should go for it. Here were some of our reasons for starting this meal. We were at the very beginning of our parenting adventure and were really laying the foundation for many years to come. It was the right time to start something new. We wanted to set a precedent that we get ready to worship the Lord starting on Saturday and we wanted that to be around our table, together as a family. We wanted our children to look forward to it and be excited about it thus helping to lead them into being excited about Sunday morning. We wanted to foster good memories as well as teach the children good manners. So off we went.

We started very simply. I pulled out some old candlesticks I had gotten at Ross very early on in our marriage and I bought some white candles. My mom had wanted to get me a gift for the new baby on the way and I asked for a tablecloth and napkins. I then looked up a Challah bread recipe and just simply tried it. It's now a family favorite. I didn't totally know what I was doing but I love to make bread so I figured it would turn out at least decently. Now, I could probably make the stuff in my sleep I've made it so many times.

Our little liturgy (order of events) goes something like this:
1. I light the candles and say, "Jesus says 'I am the Light of the world.' He calls us to be salt and light." Now our oldest two recite these lines with me as I light. Each child also gets a piece of chocolate, to remind them of God's sweetness and goodness (as well as it is just plain fun), and they eat it as we begin to read.
2. Steve reads Proverbs 31 and then tells me something that he loves about me.
3. Steve reads Proverbs 3 and then talks about each child at the table telling them something he loves about each of them.
4. I read Psalm 127-128 and then talk about Steve.
5. We all dip our hands in a bowl of water to symbolize cleansing and then ask forgiveness of anyone we need to ask forgiveness for. This gets us ready to take the bread and wine.
6. Steve prays for the bread. Then we all pass the Challah and enjoy the bread with lots of butter!!
7. Steve prays for the wine. Then we toast each other and say "Cheers! God has been good to us!" We sometimes let our kids have a bit of wine but, we mostly let them drink a special Martinelli's drink or something of that sort.
8. We sing the doxology with hands in the air and then we eat. Most of the time, I try and make this the best meal of the week. However, we've been known to have Mac n Cheese many times when I just can't pull off a fancy meal (this usually happens toward the end of pregnancy). Again, this is a "get to" tradition...not a "must do" so if I'm tapped out...we go simple. The point is to be together.

Here are the benefits we've noticed. First off, we have a weekly, built-in time to praise one another. This has been huge for our marriage and our children. There have been times when Steve and I have been annoyed with each other and have been forced to say something nice about the other. This leads to us asking forgiveness before we take the bread and the wine. And other times, it's just nice to hear nice things from your spouse that probably wouldn't have been spoken if there wasn't a time for it. The same goes for the children. Secondly, we're forced to stay home on Saturdays which helps us to be much more rested for Sundays. Thirdly, we learn to feast together as a family and relish in God's blessings to us. Fourthly, our children are hopefully seeing how important it is to worship God and gain good memories from our times around the table. And there's many, many more.

So how to get started? I'll explain that one next time. As for now, just let it be something you think about. It's a huge commitment to make but, the payoff is tremendous and lasts for years to come.

And one more thing...this is something that has been a blessing to our family and so that's why I share it. However, it's not something that every family must do or anything like that. Your family might do other things that foster the same ideas and memories and that is great. We know lots of families who have this traditional dinner but do it totally different than we do which is so great!! The point I'm trying to make is do something that fits with your family's culture and style to get yourselves around the table in whatever way you can. It starts there. We've got to get ourselves there. This is just one way that we've really enjoyed being around one another and so I wanted to pass it on.

Blind Spots

On Friday Steve and I had the opportunity to spend some alone time with #3, Joshua. I don't remember the last time it was just the three of us all hanging out. In fact, it may be that we haven't done so since he was a little baby. I didn't really think much of it at all. My parents simply wanted to take the older two out in the afternoon until bedtime and we needed to run some errands. So off we went.

Getting into the car felt like such a breeze. Three snaps and we hit the road. I felt lighter, focused and cheerful. Once our few errands were done, we decided to hit the mall play area and just let Josh play for awhile. I thought he'd be bored without his brothers. I thought he wouldn't know what to do with himself. But I was wrong.

This little monkey just glowed. He didn't stop smiling. For the first time in his life that he could remember, he had both of his parents focused just on him, smiling at him, encouraging him to climb higher and just enjoying him. He ate it up. After some playtime, we went to go get a cookie (totally spoiled his dinner later but who cares?!) and we let him throw some pennies into the water fountain.

Meanwhile, Steve and I felt like we were on a mini-date. Not much talking (from Joshua that is)...the quiet was delightful. We LOVE the banter of our boys but, a bit of quiet is welcome at times and can be quite refreshing.

All in all it was a simple afternoon but I learned a very important lesson. My little one-and-a half year old needs just as much one-on-one time as my older children do. I didn't think he'd notice that it was just him but he did. And he relished in it. This realization totally caught me off guard and reminded me that I can really miss some big things when it comes to parenting. I hate blind spots but am so glad that God gives us little glimpses of ours every once in awhile. It's God's grace to us. These little glimpses can open our eyes to things that we wouldn't have seen, thought of or cared about before. As humbling as they can be, I'm so so thankful for them.

I can't always get the alone time I think I might need which each child. But whatever I can get, I must snatch up and cherish. And when it comes down to it, I need to make it more of a priority. Joshua gets a lot of attention but not tons with me just focused on him. Precious little him. Just because he came third doesn't mean he doesn't need me and his Daddy just as much.

So I'm thankful for our little date. And I am thankful for the reminder. And I look forward to another time when it can be just us three again. In the meantime, I'm going to do my best to try and work some alone time in with each of my children on a more regular basis. Especially the younger two since Isaac gets a lot of alone time with me when his brothers nap. It may not be practical everyday but I can do it more regularly. If I can make it work for Isaac, I can do it with the other two. I just need to think it's important enough.

One Hundred

Well folks, this is my 100th post. It's been about a year since I started this humble little blog and it's become a dear friend where I can get the millions of words floating in my head down somewhere. So thanks for listening...whoever you are out there.

In honor of my 100th post, I'm going to attempt to come up with 100 things about me and our family. Not sure if I'll make it but I'll try.

1. We are Christians and we love the Lord and do our best to follow Him in everything we do.
2. We've been married for almost 8 years.
3. We've known each other for ten.
4. Our fourth, a daughter, will (hopefully) be born on our 10 year dating anniversary. Just worked out that way. I'm due on June 24th and we hope to schedule her c-section on the 25th.
5. We have three little boys.
6. They're all about a year and a half apart.
7. They all have Bible names but we didn't plan it that way. We just liked their meanings and so that's how they got their names.
8. We both graduated from the best university in the world...Cal Poly, SLO! Go Mustangs!
9. I graduated with a degree in English.
10. Steve got his degree in Math. I know, I know, we're a perfect match!
11. I secretly love country music although I don't like to admit it.
12. My husband does NOT like country music, although he likes Patty Griffin so that's okay with me.
13. I love to sing.
14. I love to bake.
15. I love to cook.
16. I love to entertain and have people over.
17. I'm not so great at all of the fun party stuff (I'm not the life of the party) but I can have my house cleaned and food made on time.
18. I don't like cats much at all.
19. But I do love dogs.
20. I love running. Short aside: I went for a walk with my old running buddy the other day. I am so used to running with her that I nearly took off out of habit when we got down to the track. That definitely would've been a sight. I love running so much that when I'm pregnant, I miss it like I do a close friend.
21. So when I am pregnant, I have a hill that I walk and that at least pacifies me for awhile.
22. Russian literature is one of my favorite genres.
23. Dostoevsky is by far my favorite Russian writer.
24. Cake and ice cream is probably my favorite combination in a dessert. Or really, anything fresh from the oven with ice cream.
25. I'm a sucker for sweets although I try so hard to have self-control.
26. After I went to college and earned the "freshmen 15" I ended up having to lose 40 lbs total a year into our marriage.
27. I did it with Weight Watchers.
28. It worked so well I've used Weight Watchers after every child.
29. I weighed more at that time in my life than I ever have full-term with any of my children.
30. As you can see, I stopped running for awhile in college and that's what got me in trouble.
31. I love my friends and am fiercely loyal.
32. I got married when I was 21.
33. I had my first child at 24.
34. I'm pretty stubborn (ask my husband).
35. Yet even though I'm stubborn, God's really worked on me so much that I've learned to willingly submit to my husband. And really, I'm much happier that way.
36. I don't like shopping because I don't like spending money.
37. Still, whenever we make a big purchase, I make Steve do it and I have a mini heart attack while he's doing so.
38. Did I already mention...I HATE spending money.
39. But I am a sucker for King Arthur Flour and Pampered Chef. I hardly ever buy anything (only accumulate slowly) but I love me some fun kitchen gadgets.
40. The last thing I ever want to do in a situation is give up. I hate quitting...almost to a fault.
41. I was in numerous plays and musicals in high school.
42. I still love going and hearing a good choir concert.
43. I was a cheerleader for one year in high school and then I was done with that. Too much drama.
44. I was on homecoming court but didn't win. But my best friend did so I was happy.
45. I didn't have my first real drink until I turned 21. It was a margarita. I wasn't impressed.
46. I'm still not a huge of alcohol so I don't miss it when I'm pregnant.
47. I don't really like coffee either unless it's a frappaccino but that doesn't count because you can't even taste the coffee.
48. I like tea a lot and I drink it black. Who wants to waste calories on honey?
49. Good Earth tea is my favorite.
50. I also love a big Diet Coke with some mini York Peppermint patties.
51. Three to be exact.
52. Because you can't just have one.
52. Two is nice.
53. But three makes you feel like you really splurged and got a treat even though they're really little.
54. I love ice cream.
55. Pralines and Cream from Baskin Robbins is my favorite.
56. But I usually eat light ice cream and I measure it into a 1/2 cup and eat it out of the measuring cup with a spoon.
57. I love to fall asleep on the couch. I get this from my mom.
58. I love it when I have fallen asleep on the couch and my husband scoops me up and carries me to bed...even when I'm huge pregnant. I love that.
59. I don't like scary movies or shows.
60. I usually have nightmares after watching shows with a lot of intensity or suspense.
61. My husband has banned me from these shows. Probably because I wake him up in the middle of the night scared with a nightmare.
62. I like microwave popcorn. 94% fat free to be exact.
63. And I like to burn mine just slightly. It tastes oh so good.
64. I like to chew Extra sugar-free gum.
65. Peppermint is my favorite.
66. I picked up that habit in Jr. High as an act of rebellion (we weren't supposed to chew gum in school) and I haven't kicked it yet.
67. All 3 of my boys have gone breech at some point toward the end of my pregnancies.
68. We'll see if little girl does the same.
69. My husband didn't kiss me until we had been dating for four months. Believe me, he wanted to, but he held out and I'm glad he did. That helped us slow things down enough to make it to our wedding day.
70. I'm Greek and proud of it-even in the midst of all of their crazy economic troubles right now.
71. I went to Greek School as a kid. I can read at the first grade level (ha ha). I can speak a little.
72. My two favorite Greek dishes to make are Spanakopita (Spinach Pie) and Pastitsio (like a Greek Lasagne, kinda)
73. I've been to Europe three times.
74. I hope to go back with my husband someday. He's never been.
75. Probably won't be until we're empty nesters.
76. Which isn't for a loooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg time!
77. I'm the only girl in my family.
78. I have an older brother and little brother.
79. I also have NO girl cousins. So I truly am the only girl.
80. My siblings and I have holiday birthdays. I'm born on St. Patty's Day and my brothers both share the same birthday (8 years apart) and their birthday regularly falls on Thanksgiving.
81. I love football.
82. I seriously enjoy watching football on TV or at a live game.
83. The 49ers are and always have been my team. Good thing I married a 9er fan.
84. We don't have TV so whenever Steve goes to a 9er game (we have season tickets that we share) or when he goes to watch a game at his brother's, I listen to the game on the radio or "watch" it on nfl.com so that I know what went on in the game and how to talk with him about it.
85. My older brother taught me everything I know about football.
86. Steve has just reaped the benefits.
87. But all other sports don't interest me much (at least enough to sit and watch them).
88. I once took a Calculus class at Cal Poly as an elective to try and understand my husband's love for math. I was the ONLY English major in that class.
89. If I didn't have a live-in tutor at the time (Steve and I were married), it probably would've been the only class I ever failed.
90. I got a B-...by the skin of my teeth. And I cried after nearly every exam.
91. I never missed one class in college. Not one.
92. One of my favorite things to do with Steve is to sit outside, on a warm summer evening after the kids have gone down and talk.
93. I hate to iron. If Steve didn't need nice clothes ironed for work I'd never, ever, ever iron.
94. But I don't mind dishes at all.
95. And my kitchen must be spotless with every dish put away or in the dishwasher and the floor swept before I can go to bed. I'm very determined and anal about this.
96. That started when we lived in the country and I discovered that if I wasn't clean, I'd get mice. Yuck!!!! I learned very quickly to love a clean kitchen.
97. I love my husband more than anyone...including my children.
98. I love my children second best.
99. I love my extended family very, very much.
100. But I love my Savior best of all.

Fres-Yes!

We have some very close friends from Cal Poly who will be embarking on a new journey this next year. After five years of teaching Biology, Andy will be attending medical school on the east coast this coming fall. These are very precious friends to us. So precious that we packed up our brood and my belly too and went to the valley (Fresno area) for a last weekend of fun with our wonderful friends.

We had a great time just catching up and being with them. We tried to soak up every minute as we aren't quite sure when or how often we'll get to see them. Steph made us some amazing meals as usual, the boys played with Annaliese (their daughter) and we just got to be together one last time...at least for awhile.


All of us met through AGO at Cal Poly (except Andy and I knew each other in high school) and we started dating around the same time. Steph and I were roommates one year and so were Andy and Steve, and we got married within a year of each other. We kinda grew up together. We have a few other friends like them that we just love and cherish so much. It's hard to say "good-bye" but we know that we'll be friends for a lifetime.

Especially because these two, just seven weeks apart, have already been betrothed, so someday we'll be family. We just know it.

We love you Dollahites. Thanks for being such wonderful and special friends to us. We're going to miss you all terribly.