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November Already?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:09:18 GMT

Man, October went by fast! I still can't believe it's already November. With Christmas approaching, I sent out an e-mail to our immediate family, requesting all of their Christmas lists. My step-dad (wow that's weird to say...moving right along) AKA "Aggie" responded with "where is YOUR list?!" So, I thought it was only fair that I send one out as well...only to find that I cannot think of a single thing I want!

I remember when I was a kid (actually, more like when I was a teenager/early 20-something), I would make a list of items and not so subtly hint to my parents that I would just DIE if I did not get what was on my wish list. Now, I'm finding it difficult to think of just one thing I "need". I can honestly say that God is teaching me how to be completely satisfied with what I have. Wow. What a blessing :)

Thanksgiving is just weeks away (weeks! holy cow!) and this year, Ben and I are driving home to spend the holiday season with our families. I can't wait to see everyone! Unfortunately, there will be a few family members missing. My cousin, Sarah, is currently teaching overseas, and my sis-in-law, Rebekah, will be on a missions trip to Asia. I will miss both of you dearly!!

So, has everyone noticed that the New York Yankees are the greatest team in baseball?

No? Here, let me illustrate:

There. I hope that cleared it up for you.

Just for the record, although Jeter is my favorite Yankee (yeah #2!), Damon is definitely the unsung hero of the 2009 post-season. Seriously, the man is my hero!

Oh, and if you don't love the Yankees, I don't mind. It comes with the territory; Yankees fans are used to being hated for being the best...and with all of the band-wagoners out there, there just isn't room for you anyway. Plus, I have friends who voted for Obama, so I can clearly put up with a little callowness ;)

But if you don't even like baseball...well, you are living in the wrong country, my friend!

Goodnight :)

"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."

:: Columnist Mike Royko

Happy Halloween!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:06:50 GMT

I've never been a fan of Halloween. I always learned about the terrible traditions that started it all. You know, the ones that all of the legalistic Baptists claimed it was about that could NEVER be forgotten or erased. Well, guess what? Yes, perhaps it was once an evil holiday, spent with burnt sacrifices and devil-worshipping. But over the years, it has become a fun celebration of fall, filled with autumn-themed food, carving pumpkins (once tied to a terrible tradition, but now just plain fun), passing out candy, and dressing up in costumes. Pagans used to celebrate one of their holidays toward the end of December, but Christians took over and we now celebrate Christ's birth in December (even though He was most likely born in the spring...go figure). Many aspects of Christmas that used to be sacreligious (i.e. Christmas tree, anyone?) are now largely celebrated by Christians worldwide.

So, after years of deliberation, I have finally decided to celebrate Halloween...and I'm already having a great time!

Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimneysweep

We won first place at World Help's costume party today! :)

This weekend's Halloween plans:

* dinner and games at our friends' house
* a surprise event tomorrow for me and Beth (planned by Ben and Mike - what could it be?)
* Jon is coming to visit!
* fall-themed food and games at our place with family and friends
* Yankees in the World Series
* more hanging with Ben and my bro-in-law
* another Yankees game

...I am really loving this faux holiday! :)

Happy Halloween!!

"I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.
:: Author Unknown

Delicious Autumn

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:52:39 GMT

Don't you just love rainy Saturdays in the Fall? They make me want to curl up with a warm drink and a good book.

After sifting through various ideas on the many blogs I follow, I finally settled on some fun, new ways to make our home feel nice and cozy this season. I'll be uploading pics on my decorating blog, so stay tuned...

Here are some pictures from last week's Apple Harvest Festival, as promised:

What a great day with great friends :)

Last night, we had another married couple over for dinner and games (girls won Spades 3 in a row, woohoo!). I made BBQ ribs, sauteed green beans, and flaky biscuits for dinner. Excuse me for saying so, but it was delicious! I'd always hoped I'd inherit my mom's knack for cooking - apparently, I have. I've found that I absolutely LOVE to cook and bake, especially from scratch. I also enjoy spicing up bland recipes and coming up with new recipes. It's so much fun to experiment and then eat something delicious that you created all by yourself.

That reminds me: since we still have almost an entire peck of apples from last week's festival, tonight will be spent watching the Yankees game while baking an apple pie - my first ever. I also might try baking a Dutch Apple Cake, if we have enough apples leftover. Speaking of baking, Ben and I saw Julie and Julia (when it was only $1 a ticket at the New Theater) and it was surprisingly good - even Ben liked it!

It really made me want to buy Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Who wants to give it for me for Christmas? ;)

New Moon premieres in 27 days! I get to see it in 26 days because I'm going to the midnight premiere with some friends from work. We're going to be very silly and act like teenage girls and yell Edward's name at random parts of the movie...It's going to be so much fun! :)

A girl from work sent around coupons for a free hot chocolate and cookie from the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble today. So, Ben and I will be spending the afternoon enjoying our free treats and perusing the newest books and magazines. Autumn perfection...

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

:: George Eliot

Woohoo!!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:49:46 GMT

We went to an Apple Harvest Festival this past weekend with some friends and it was so much fun! Pics to come shortly.

Tonight, I met up with my friend Beth at a little bookstore/coffee shop just minutes away from my house. We got miltons (espresso milkshakes), blogged, and chatted all evening. It was perfection.

The Yankees are doing AMAZING and are definitely earning their paychecks this post-season. I got home at 9pm and the score was 0-0. The game just ended 10-1 Yankees...it was nice of them to wait for me! ;) These games are just incredible. A-rod is hitting non-stop home runs, Damon and Teixeira are fielding like it's their job (oh, wait...) and Jeter is owning fools. Not to mention CC, who is basically unstoppable. Just 1 game to go, my friends!

Today is October 20th...that means there is only one month until the premiere of New Moon; I can't wait!

Goodnight! :)

October Fun!

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:44:45 GMT

Is it Friday yet?!

I'm totally psyched for this weekend! No details yet, as I am attempting to honor Ben's "share after, not before request (so as to avoid being stalked and killed in a dark alley). But this weekend is going to be filled with great friends, family, and food - my favorites!

The New Moon Soundtrack is so good. Especially Meet Me on the Equinox, by Death Cab. You should probably go listen to it now (while reading this post, of course).

Having Mom and Aggie here last weekend was great! The four of us talked and went shopping in Roanoke and made homemade calzones and brownie sundaes - mmm delish! The boys went golfing twice, leaving Mom and I lots of time for girl talk - I've missed her so much! It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to spend quality time together...I can't wait to have the whole family together for Thanksgiving!

I need to listen to my husband more often. Not just listen, but follow his advice He is so prudent and level-headed and I am neither of those things. Ugh. I wish I would learn to think, THEN act. Well, at least I have a lifetime for him to teach me!

The craziest thing happened while Mom and Aggie were here. I was talking about how the jeweler at Kay's told me that since my engagement ring has a "floating diamond", I need to make sure to take it off sometimes so as to avoid it from being snagged on things (the price of having the most gorgeous ring in the world ~ definitely worth it!). I usually remember to take it off before bed, making dinner, etc. but sometimes I forget. Well, the 3 of them were giving me a hard time about it, saying that it's not a big deal and the jeweler was probably just over-exaggerating.

But I said "No, seriously! The first time I had my ring inspected, the jeweler said the big diamond was really loose" and as I spoke, I tapped the side of the diamond...which swayed back and forth! Eek!! Everyone believed me after that!

Ben bought the lifetime warrantee (with no prodding from me, since I had no idea he was buying me a ringin the first place - such a thinker), so even if my diamond does fall out, I could get it replaced for free. I'm just glad it didn't have to come to that. I don't know what I'd do if I looked down and saw that my diamond was missing!

So, my engagement ring is currently being shipped off to Richmond, where it will be tightened, inspected, and have a rhodium treatment done so that it will be returned to me, sparkling, clean, and good as new. Thank goodness I never had my rings soldered together, or else my left hand would be completely bare right now!

Wow, I use a lot of exclamation points. I am just a very enthusiastic person, I can't help it! Today, one of my co-workers said "Natalie, you are always so cheerful! I love it!", so I said "You should ask Ben about that!" hehe... Husbands certainly see us at our best and at our worst. I'm so glad they love us anyway :)

New Moon will be in theaters in a little over a month!! (Do you like how my paragraphs have nothing to do with one another?) I've read the books twice already and I started Twilight again today so that I can have New Moon fresh in my mind before watching the movie. When I first watched Twilight, I thought it was cheesy but alright. I could tell that was missing lots of background information, which is what prompted me to read the books. Now that I've read all of them, it makes Twilight so much better because there are layers of foreshadowing throughout the movie that won't play out until the last movie. I can't wait to see what they hint at in the new movie! My friends and I (my Twilight-loving friends, that is...which is most of my friends, because really, who doesn't love Twilight?) were going to drive up to Charlottesville and meet up with another friend who moved to Winchester in July. The plan was to go shopping, have a nice dinner, and watch the movie together...but now we can't go...because something even better than New Moon came up...

The Children of the World West team is coming to town!! Ben and I can't believe we get to have Christian and Keith stay with us again! We've missed our little faux sons!

Wups, it's getting late. Happy weekend to you all!

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.
You have to catch it yourself.

:: Benjamin Franklin

A Big Decision

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:03:10 GMT

After much (much, much, much) deliberation, Ben and I have decided that it is best if I wait to finish Grad school until I have my own classroom. I just cannot fit weekly field experiences, lesson plans, teacher interviews, etc. into a week that is already filled with...well, a life!

I know that, in theory, I could continue with my Masters degree right now. I also know that if I did do that, everything else in my life would be put on the back-burner: quiet time with the Lord, quality time with my husband, housework, spending time with friends...these things are all very important aspects of my life, and finishing up Grad school right now does not trump a single one of them.

When Ben and I arrived at the decision, I felt great...then, I cried like a baby. I'm fine with not finishing classes now; I just don't want to disappoint my dad. He was afraid that if I didn't get my Masters degre before getting married, I never would. And it's very difficult to explain something to someone who is in heaven! ;)

The fundamental problem is this: it is nearly impossible to complete an El. Ed. Masters program unless you have your own classroom. Countless hours of field experience, access to students, parents, fellow teachers, administrators, etc. cannot be obtained during a 45 minute lunch break. I suppose I could have just gone to Liberty Grad school...but I don't want it to be like my undergrad, where I just coasted through my classes and barely even got into the classroom until my student teaching experiences. A lot of my friends are taking Masters classes through Liberty and all they do is take quizzes and write pointless papers that they use over and over again for each course. That just doesn't work for me. I want my degree to be worth every penny. I want to be in the classroom, working with students, learning how to become a better teacher. And if that means I have to wait, I will.

So, here we are. After talking with Ben (and crying, and being comforted by Ben, and crying some more) and praying my little heart out, I can honestly say that I am actually at peace with my decision. And you know what? It feels good to know that I have my priorities in order.

I feel so relaxed right now. There's no wondering how I'm going to create a classroom management intervention for students I don't have or trying to find a site supervisor at a school whose principal has never heard of me. All of my stress has vanished! Yay :)

This week is going so well already, and it's just going to get better. We went to see 2 movies at the new theater ($1 per ticket + $1 for a bag of popcorn + $1 for a coke = a fun date with Ben and a double-date with the Breams!) and tomorrow is World Help's anniversary Banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn. I'm excited for the delicious food, the fun with our WH friends, and the COTW East concert!

But the best part of the week happens Friday...my mom and Aggie are coming to visit!!! They're arriving at around 7 Friday evening and are staying 'til Monday morning. I can't wait to see them! My mom is one of my best friends, and living so far away from one another is almost too much to bear. It's going to be wonderful to have her here with me!

Well, it's past my bedtime so I'd better go. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week :)

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are."
:: Roy Disney

U2!!!

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:03:41 GMT

That's right: Ben got us tickets to see MUSE and U2 this past Thursday!!

We had to go. U2 is the next generation's Beatles. Plus, they only travel every few years, and when they do, they spend most of their tour in Europe, so the fact that they were barely an hour away was impossible to resist!

We got the cheapest tickets (standing in the "Field") and they were half off because we bought them a week before the concert. Ben and I never sit in concerts (who under age 40 does??), so that was fine with us! We arrived 45 minutes before the concert started, yet there were hardly any people there, so we found ourselves just 60 or so feet from the stage!

As if that wasn't crazy enough, I overheard a guy say "...the first 200 people in that line get to stand in the inner circle next to the stage!"

Ben and I literally ran after that guy until we found a little gate where they counted people as they walked by. Sure enough, they let us in and we got to spend the entire concert standing about 3 rows back from the stage!!

Muse was SO good! They had a great set and were the perfect warm-up for U2.

U2 was AWESOME!! They used the 360' Stage, which had 2 bridges that randomly rotated back and forth above the heads of the people in the center circle (us!).

All of the band members would randomly walk across the bridges; even the drummer grabbed a bongo and walked across the bridge! So, all throughout the concert, Bono was 2 feet away from me!! It was surreal...

And get this: Bono played 23 songs! Can you believe it?! Tons of new ones, plus all of their greatest hits, including my favorite, 'Beautiful Day'.

It was an incredible extension to my birthday and I still can't believe we got to go!

Well, I am going to go watch Twilight (again) and fold some laundry. Yep, it's that good; IF you have read all of the books. I hope you enjoy this cozy Sunday evening :)

"U2 is an original species... there are colors and feelings and emotional terrain that we occupy that is ours and ours alone."
:: Bono

Birthday and Blogging

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:29:37 GMT

My birthday was incredible! Mom sent me moula and Rach sent me a Starbucks gift card. As a joint gift, they also gave me a winter-white wool trench coat from Victoria's Secret! Rach knew I'd been wanting a winter-white colored coat, so she did some "midget research" (that's what Ben calls it when I obsessively-compulsively search for something online) until she found the perfect one. What a great sister!

Ben brought me breakfast in bed (from McDonald's; I heart egg mcmuffins...) and gave me Twilight on DVD and The Time Traveler's Wife (the book, not the movie) - both of which I've been dying to have, but never even asked for. He's a keeper :) We went to Outback for dinner, spent hours reading magazines and drinking white chocolate mochas at Barnes & Noble, and then...he took me to see Brian Regan at the Roanoke Civic Center!! Oh my goodness, if you haven't heard of Brian Regan, you are seriously missing out. He is one of the funniest comedians I have ever heard. Even better, his shows are actually clean. I have three words for you: GET SOME LEAVES! hahaha oh man, hilarious!

I just love birthdays. It's so much fun not knowing where I'll be going or what I'll be doing or what thoughtful presents my friends and family have in store me. I am definitely still on a birthday high! That is most likely because the one birthday present that was not a surprise is happening in just 2 days and can hardly wait!!

Our friends, Mike and Beth are over right now; they brought Chinese food and I baked a peach pie that we will be cutting into in just a few minutes. The boys are playing Wii in the living room and the girls are blogging on their laptops in the guest room/study ~ what a lovely evening! :)

Well, I have to get back to my blog about the yard sale in NY. Such great finds!

I hope you all are having a fantastic week!

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”
:: Abraham Lincoln

Happy Autumn!

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:07:39 GMT

Wow, I can't believe the summer is over already! In June, I wrote a list of fun goals for Ben and I to accomplish before summer ended, and here they are:

Amusement park - CHECK!
Grill out - CHECK!
Beach - CHECK!
Road trip to Owego, NY - CHECK!
Visit out-of-town friends - CHECK!
Play mini-golf - CHECK!
Drive-in movie - nope, not yet
Walk around the neighborhood together - CHECK!
Farmer’s Market - CHECK!
Bike the local trails - CHECK!
Picnic at the Park - CHECK!

All but one goal accomplished - not too shabby. Plus, the drive-in-theaters around here don't close 'til January, so there's still time to check that goal off our list. What a wonderful summer...

This week has been kind of crazy at work. Actually, the whole month has been crazy. I replaced my friend, Deb, who had the job for 3 years and worked at World Help for 5 years - definitely some big shoes to fill. She said it took her a long time to learn everything and that she still asked questions all the time, but that is just not good enough for me. I'm catching on, but it's frustrating that I have not yet grasped how to do my job without assistance. I do not like having to ask questions all the time! My goodness. I need to be patient and stop trying to be such a perfectionist. I also need to take more time to write in my journal and on xanga. It's a great way to vent!

I had a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks tonight; what a lovely way to welcome Fall. I also decorated our house with our autumn decor: shimmering, beige tablecloth topped with orange, brown, and green runner from Crate & Barrel, along with my orange, beige and green F-A-L-L candleholders (a birthday gift from a friend last year) on the dining room table...candles lit in every room...it smells amazing and feels so cozy!

I never thought I'd happily welcome Fall, but I am! The chilly wind making scarves and trench coats a daily necessity, the nights filled with homemade chai lattes and cuddling on the couch with my husband, the trees turning crimson and gold before my eyes...

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday!! How exciting :) Today, I had a pre-birthday lunch with a bunch of my friends from World Help. It was the most fun I've had a WH lunch and Vernon (the president of our organization) even came, which was really cool. He is incredibly sarcastic, which I of course love, AND he paid for all of our meals! Definitely a nice birthday surprise! Speaking of, I adore surprises, so Ben isn't telling me what any of my gifts are or where we're going or what we're doing until it is officially my birthday. I can't wait! Ben did tell me what one of my presents is, though, because it's someplace we'll be going together next week...However, I cannot say what it is until after we go, because I promised Ben that I would stop writing things on here that are invitations for people to stalk me :p So, I will just say that am VERY psyched for that event (gosh it's going to be so awesome!) and that I can't wait for tomorrow's birthday festivities to begin!! Ben is amazing at planning surprises for me, so I know my birthday is going to be fabulous! :)

Well, it's time to watch "House" with my love. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Camus

3-Day Weekend!

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:09:17 GMT

I just finished watching the movie "Nights in Rodanthe" and thought it was terrrrible. I guess it was supposed to be heart-wrenching, but the characters were undeveloped and their relationship seemed to be thrown together at the last second, so it was difficult to really connect to the story. Plus, it was just downright boring. The good thing is that we didn't have to pay for it; Ben and I recently discovered that our apartment complex has about 200 movies you can "rent" from the main office - for free! So, we got the aforementioned moved as well as Australia (saw it in the theater - so good!). They have lots of great old movies, as well as brand new movies - I'm excited to look more at their collection and see what other gems we can rent for free.

So, I think I should clarify something from my last post. In case I mislead anyone...I did not mean to imply that you are selfish if you buy anything for yourself, for your friends, or for your family members. I go out to dinner with friends, I buy clothes for myself, I buy things to decorate our house with. What I meant was simply this: your giving to those in need should be in direct correlation to what you give to yourself and to your loved ones. I realize that most people do not have extra money just lying around...but everyone has something. Disagree? Well, most of you who are reading this are using your own internet to surf the web. If you have the extra cash needed to pay for internet, you have enough money to give some of it away. We actually have several people who send in just $2 a month to World Help. These people realize that even though some may not consider this as a large amount of money to give away, every little bit counts. Oh, and I'm also not saying you should only give to World Help. There are lots of other great organizations out there who are doing tons of amazing things to help people around the globe. I just happen to know that World Help has been the #1 most trusted non-profit organization in the country for years. That means the money you donate goes directly to the people who need it the most.

Ok, enough about that! :)

I won an entire room of Olympic paint from Katie Bower's Blog! We've decided to paint the guest room (currently powder blue) a deep, blue-gray color. I just have to e-mail the people at Olympic paint our room measurements and they'll send us what we need so we can head on over to Lowes and pick up our free paint! Now I'm just waiting for the website to load so I can choose the color we want...*tapping fingers*

This summer has been amazing. Lots of trips to New York, a week-long vacation at the beach with my family, tons of double-dates, spending every beautiful weekend at the pool, and lots of game-nights and great talks with friends. It's good to know that I'm exactly where God wants me to be. Ben and I have been discussing the future and since this is a public website, I'm not going to share exactly what our plans are...but they are VERY exciting!

And no, I'm not pregnant. Ben and I are happily enjoying newlywed life sans screaming infant. And we are very lucky to have a group of married friends who share our sentiments. I never know how to act or what to say when I'm around people with baby fever. I want to be like "Uhhh are your Savior and your husband not enough for you? And whatever happened to waiting on the Lord?" Besides, the first few years of married life are busy enough without adding all of the craziness that comes with having a baby. Oh, I'll definitely be excited when God chooses to bless me with a pregnancy or when He lets us know when we should begin looking into adoption. But there is no need to waste any time wishing and worrying about when that will be. Plus, it's fun not knowing exactly when our family will grow - I just love surprises!

Speaking of babies...my little second-cousin, Ava Lorelai, is turning one on September 16th! I can't believe she is already a year old. I am taking a half-day on Friday and will be driving the 8 hours up to NY to be there for her party on Sunday. Then, I'm taking her mom (my cousin, Jessie) out for breakfast on Monday to celebrate her 30th birthday. So many fun things to celebrate. I just love September!

Ben and I are having such a great weekend. Our friend, Jeremy, came to visit, so the 3 of us met up with some of our married friends from work and went to the Farmers' market in downtown Lynchburg. We saw some old friends from Liberty, which was nice, and I picked up some Honeysuckle Pears, Peaches (to make peach pie), and homemade Rhubard Jam and pasta (made by the Menonites). Then we went back to our place, grabbed some lunch, invited another friend over, and spent the entire afternoon at our apartment pool. There were only 4 other people there - it's so great that we somehow always have the pool to ourselves! Then it was time for dinner at a local Mexican Restaurant, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at Movies 10 (not an impressive movie - too much language, crudeness, and needless explosions), and then ended the evening with soft serve ice cream at Mr. Goody's - mmm!

Well, we've done lots of other fun stuff this weekend and we have plans for tomorrow...but I don't feel like typing anymore and I want to watch Australia with Ben, so adios!

"If you want to be happy, be."

:: Leo Tolstoy