Seven Years

Sevens are lucky for many. Casinos are filled with them, as are lottery tickets. Who would think, then, that our seventh year of marriage would be the hardest we've been through yet?



I won't list everything my husband and I have been through in the past year. It's not glamorous, exciting, or interesting in the least. The point is, we made it through that seventh year...to today.

Our seventh wedding anniversary.



The seventh anniversary of the day I married the man God put on this Earth for me to find. Of the day when I gave my heart and soul to him "officially", although I knew long before then that he was The One. Of the day when we vowed to each other that nothing would come between us.

Well, the proof is in the pudding, people. The past year has been full of trials and hardships. And today we celebrate every single one of those days as a triumph of our love for one another. A love that held fast against outside forces. A love that is greater than it's ever been because we made it through all of them. We may have done things a little backwards in our relationship, but that's okay. It makes us unique. It makes us that much stronger.

Here's to a lifetime more of memories, trials, celebrations and anniversaries.



Thank you for putting up with me for this long. I love you!

Leaving...on a jet plane.

Okay, so I'm not. But I am leaving. Actually, we are leaving as a family. My husband has gotten a job with Southwest Airlines. This is excellent, as it's been a long haul with him being unemployed. The whole time has been trying for us as a family and us as husband and wife, but we're stronger because of it. And let me tell you this - we will never take the simple things for granted again!

This is also scary, as it requires a move from the Midwest...the only place I've known and spent all but two or three years of my life. We will be facing Dallas, Texas, head on come the end of this year. Patrick will be going on ahead of us, and I'll be staying here with the kids to make it through the holidays with my family. Then we'll make the trek down to Dallas to join him at the very end if this year.



What an exciting prospect, no? I've never been to Texas, that I can remember at least. I know this will be difficult. I know that I'm the world's biggest baby when it comes to heat - it makes me cranky and miserable. I also know that I'll be leaving behind my family and friends. I know I'll be a K-State fan in the middle of SMU territory.

However, the longer summer in Texas just means a longer growing season (and they do have air conditioning there, too, so I've heard :P ). And I do have friends that live in the Dallas and surrounding areas, and I've got an aunt, uncle, and cousin that live in a not-too-far away city. And I don't give a hoot about SMU, or the Horns, or TCU. I'm a K-Stater til I die, baby! (Plus, although I'll never, EVER be a Cowboys fan, at least I like Houston!)

So, this is the start of a brand new adventure. I'll admit to having cowboy hats and boots picked out for the kids already.



I will also admit to dreaming of moving right into a house on a couple acres out in the semi-middle of nowhere. I have dreams of a good garden, a T-bar clothes line, and an eventual chicken coop.

Dream house photo courtesy of Connor Homes

These dreams will stay just that for awhile though...it's been 14 months on one {teensy weensy} income, and we'll have to spend a short while recovering from that.

So, fair warning - I may be out of sorts for a little while. We will be busy packing and moving to our temporary home (thanks, Mom!!), then moving and unpacking. I do plan on taking time off from work to get the family settled, the kids school stuff figured out, and all the other little big things that will knock on our door. Oh, and if you live anywhere on the way from Missouri to Texas, keep your eyes peeled and ears open for us between Christmas and New Years!

Junk in My Trunk

I'm the first to admit:

I'm a junk food junkie.

I can remember sitting in the basement of my best high school friend, watching movies, eating pizza, peanut butter, potato chips, and pickles. Oh if I had all those calories and all that sodium back right now, I don't know what I'd do with it.

Probably eat it.

Nowadays, I try not to keep too much of the junk on hand, because, well, I have kids and a husband to worry after. I don't want them snacking on all sorts of garbage, and I don't want them seeing Mama snack on all sorts of garbage. I want their memories of childhood filled with good wholesome, homemade foods, and the occasional dessert.

But that doesn't stop me all the time.

I love pizza. I love Pringles. And I love Pepsi.

I control all of these fairly well.

I also have an affinity for Nutty Bars. Did you know you can get them in single serving packages, right there at the check-out counter of your grocery store? Oh who am I kidding, they're not at all single servings. But they are for me (and probably ever other person who gets sucked in by their peanutty, chocolatey goodness). They're irresistible. And evil.



And I love them. I might hate Little Debbie, but I love those bars.

I sometimes try to take them apart, layer by layer, starting at the top. Then when I get to the very bottom layer, I put those two together, peanut butter-sides facing. It creates sort of a double-stuffed nutty bar, if you will. It's delectable. I do the same thing with Oreo cookies, but that's a different post.

Do you have a favorite junk food? Tell me you do, please. Let me know I'm not alone in my fight!