today is my brother chase's birthday. happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy biiirrrttthhdddaaaayy deeeaarrr cccchhhaaasseee, happy birthday to you! jay and i hope you have a fabulous day. if only we were able to partake in the wonderful home cooked meal you get to enjoy this evening with the rest of our family. darn school not allowing us to go.

since we cannot be there jay and i thought we would post a picture of what we want to get you. get excited brother! jay is riding your present! don't worry, we'll send it in the mail to denver..

thursday morning with jay

upon waking up jay prepared for his day full of school, work, and most importantly his wife. he stretched and put on the usual clothes....khakis and a black shirt. after thoroughly brushing his teeth and putting norman in his kennel, he headed downstairs to drive downtown. "it's raining?" he thought as he walked outside. "i'm sure maggie has an umbrella in the car," he reassured himself. driving carefully downtown making sure never to go over the speed limit, jay parked in his usual free spot approximately 2 miles from the university. he begrudgingly reached underneath the seat searching for the golden ticket, an umbrella. after a few seconds his hand felt the slick umbrella. "perfect," he thought. he pulled it out and quickly saw that i so graciously left the multicolored and far from sturdy umbrella in his car. he really didn't think this would matter because of his high self confidence in his manhood. well it turned out that this wonderfully multicolored umbrella really does not keep the rain away from a person when the wind is blowing. as he started walking to scooters for his pit stop for coffee, the umbrella blows inside out creating quite the sight with rain pelting his face and pants. he approached scooters and quickly ran inside. the regulars are sitting at the surfboard table near the entrance and immediately asked him, "would you like a man's umbrella jay?". "hahaha, funny guys", jay responded. not thinking anything of it and getting a laugh at himself, jay grabbed his coffee and briskly headed outside. as he glanced over his shoulder after he put up his umbrella, he noticed the regular coffee goers getting quite the laugh at him. he was glad that he could provide much amusement. to say the least, this amazing umbrella i left for him was not so amazing.......he still got wet. 2 hours after walking in the rain his sleeves and pants were still wet. maybe its time for a new one.

coffee and rainy days

rainy days always call for baking cookies and snuggling up to watch a movie on the couch. the sweet scent of baking in the air and the feeling of being warm and cozy while it is dreary and brisk outside. oh if only we could do that! i suppose i would rather work on a day that is raining than a bright sunny day because then i would only want to be outside. so really are we ever content and satisfied with what we are doing? that would be the question ladies and gentlemen. perhaps that is the underlying problem....i am not truly finding my complete satisfaction in Christ, thus not finding contentment in all areas of my life. hmmm....something to think and act on!

here's a recipe for some GREAT monster cookies. thanks paula dean!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

downtown lincoln does not equal honeymoon

honeymoon? yes please! we are currently on the adventure of finding a great deal because we have yet to go on a true honeymoon. i guess the embassy in downtown lincoln doesn't count...who would have thought. any ideas of where we should go? somewhere tropical is what i have it narrowed down to thus far...and the huts in these pictures look quite perfect for us.....maybe one day!

fact of the day

americans consume about 6 gallons of ice cream per year.

i guess that is good for ivanna cone...but for me...maybe not. i need to monitor my intake a little more. jay doesn't have this problem due to his sensitive teeth.

here we are....

here we are living a quite average life compared to most people however jay and i love to dream that we are exquisitely exciting in everything we do. not only are we newly married, a year and a half in the making, we are new parents too! our child is a quite bit harrier than most, but most definitely resembles his father. we love him and spoil him and probably treat him too much like a human. as a matter of fact norman, our scottish terrior, probably thinks he is a real person. yes. that is right. our child is a four legged puppy who is 11 months old now.

growing up i never had a dog due to the fact that i grew up with a very clean mother who was not about to clean up dog hair on top of her children's hair. on the complete opposite of the spectrum is jay who grew up with approximately 10 different dogs. his mother was and still is dr. quinn medicine woman for animals. not only did his family always have a dog, but also lizards, fish, guinea pigs, and birds. much different from my childhood. so now, here we are married with our first baby, norman.

as we keep all of you updated with our most assuringly crazy life, remember that we are not professionals at this whole blog thing. hahaha...that made me laugh