Going to Guatemala

If I have your email address in my address book, chances are, you received an email from me and Adam this week about our trip to Guatemala this summer.  We are so excited to be heading there with our church in July!

In an effort to raise the $3,200 (total) it takes for both of us to go on the trip, we are picking up side jobs here and there to close the gap.  We are also taking on what I think will be a rather big undertaking, making lasagna and "selling" them for a donation.

Adam wrote the letter and I "made it pretty," with photos and such.  (We make a good team!)  After some technical difficulties (for which I was mortified and had really tried to avoid), our friends and family wrote back so fast.  It has been really humbling and so cool to see how our people are so ready to support us through prayer, and they're more than willing to put us to work, which is fine with us!

So hopefully you will see our new little Guatemala ticker on the right go up as we get to work.  So far, we've got three babysitting dates scheduled, six lasagnas ordered (and counting), and a reservation for the Bella Hotel in the next few months.  (That means Bella is coming to visit!)

I was also smiling my way out of bed and talking Adam's ear off this morning, because someone offered to straight up write a check towards our trip, because they are not healthy enough to go themselves and are thrilled that we can go in their place.

We were both a little nervous about sending out that letter, but God is already proving to be so faithful, as usual.  :-)

We would love to serve you in any way that we can, so be thinking of ways we can help you--here are some ideas:

• Yard work
• House sitting
• Dog Sitting
• Layout/Design work
• Babysitting
• Home/Office/Classroom Organizing
• The list is endless!!  

Thank you so much for partnering with us through prayer and finances as we take this journey.  We will be sure and keep you informed of our progress and of what's going on with the trip.

Preparing for Easter

Source: aholyexperience.com via Vermeer37 on Pinterest

I only know it's Ash Wednesday because yesterday was Fat Tuesday.  Ha.  Since I grew up Baptist, and now we go to a Bible church, Lent is not something I've observed before.  In the past, I've considered giving up something I really love, like Dr. Pepper, but I think it would just make me grumpy.  :-)  And I tried it once in college and didn't get too far when I saw it was Sonic Happy Hour time.

That being said, I really like the idea of preparing our hearts for Easter, though, just like preparing for Christmas with Advent. 

I signed up for a daily Lent Devotional email in my inbox from Redeember Presbyterian, where Pastor Tim Keller preaches.  (My fam loves them some Tim Keller.  My parents have visted his church a few times while in NYC, and he's a great writer and speaker, covering a wide variety of Biblical topics.  He does a great series on marriage that's really insightful.)

A couple of other sites with helpful Lent resources are below:
Easter Devotional Download (free) from Ann Voskamp, one of my favorite authors. (She wrote One Thousand Gifts, about counting her thanksgivings and the difference it's made.)

All things Hendrick has a list of several books and sites that cover a wide variety of ages.  This is where I found the Redeemer Presbyterian devotional recommendation.


I suppose it's not good to end this post with "Happy Ash Wednesday," huh?  Signing off.

We Can Thank Pinterest for That

We've been eating a lot of recipes from Pinterest lately--it feeds my creative side.  There have been a 

few recipes that haven't been up to snuff, but I didn't include them on here.  So try them,

they're delicious! 

Here's the Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

 

Source: ourbestbites.com via Shay on Pinterest

Strawberry Angel Food Cake Trifle, featured at Adam's birthday.  Everything in there meshes together, so it tastes great, but it doesn't look pretty after dipping into it.  I think next time I might make it with graham crackers as one of the layers to give it a little more structure.

Source: sabbyinsuburbia.blogspot.com via Shay on Pinterest

Crockpot Chicken Tacos--just four ingredients in the crockpot.  Yum!

Source: mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com via Shay on Pinterest

And lately when Adam's been working, I've taken to making some dishes that I thought he might turn his nose up to, like these Baked Zucchini Chips.  They were pretty good, but I probably should've gone with the optional parmesan cheese on top.  The good news is that I ate an entire zucchini!  Shocking.  (When I told AMP what I'd made, his nose literally did turn up!)

Source: thejoyofcleaneating.com via Shay on Pinterest

This is Gnocci Mac 'n Cheese.  Gnocci is part potato, part noodle, and I have fond memories of being introduced to them while in Italy with Lyndsy.  I was going to use them for another recipe, but ended up doing with out them, so they were just sitting in the pantry.  I saw this recipe last week, and happened to have all the stuff for it in our fridge.  (Ok, I didn't have three kinds of cheese, but I had plenty!).  It was really tasty.  I would recommend it, especially if you want to do something a little fancier with a good ole standby!

 

Source: noblepig.com via Shay on Pinterest

Are you hungry after looking through all of that?  I am.  We can thank Pinterest for that, too.

Weekends are for...

...Unlocking the fireproof box and finding treasures inside

(we lost the key moving, so Adam watched some YouTube videos and picked the lock. 

He's going to have a side job as a locksmith...)

...Rainy Day trips to the library

...Baseball cap days 

...Wrestling with the Water Line out in the front yard

This weekend we spent some great quality time together (my fave!).  We made spaghetti one night, brisket and then brisket tacos.  We've eaten well and are hopefully rested up for the week ahead.  

Happy Monday!

Sidenote: wouldn't you hate this if you came across this in your parents' or teachers' stack of books?  I guess they figure you can't read yet if you find it.  Weird.

Saturday with Friends, Old & Young

Last Saturday, Katie came in from Nashville to celebrate her Great Aunt Gwen's 90th Birthday, so SMoo and I joined in the festivities as well.  You might think it a bit odd that we would be a part of a large family get together, but Aunt Gwen is like family to us.  

You see, in college, Katie found an 8x10 framed Olan Mills photo of Aunt G at her parents' house the summer we all moved in together.  SMoo and I added a photo of our great aunts when we moved in as well.  It made for a great conversation starter with whoever walked in our apartment, and hilarious stories at my rehearsal dinner, too.  :-)

The roomies and the Birthday Girl.  Doesn't she look fabulous??

Katie moved to Nashville and has started to out dress us all.  She has these roommates who are fashonistas, so they have taken to picking out her clothes.  She is always rockin' it.  Her students stop her in the hall often and tell her she should be a super model. 

This is Katie's nephew, Leo, who came in town with his parents, Tyler & Holly, who are living up in Seattle.  The roomies went to their wedding a few years ago in San Antonio, and we loved hanging out with them when we were all in Waco.  This was the first time I got to meet him, and he was just precious.

Seriously just wanted to eat.him.up.

SMoo loved him, too.  Look at those eyes!

You can also see a bit of the Dr. Seuss decor behind her.  The party was decorated with different Dr. Seuss characters and various food stations with food where Gwen had lived (New York cheesecake, Texas salsa, etc.)  It was really fun, and over 100 people were at the retirement home to celebrate.

It was a short afternoon, but having the three roommates together was like magic.  I don't know that I can explain how it felt for us to be together again.  Definitely a breath of fresh air!

Saturday night I went to babysit the boys.  I rewarded them with a "surprise" if they were kind to each other and would eat their dinner.  Their surprise was a tent-building session where they got to watch Cars 2, but not before asking if Adam was their surprise!  They were bummed he was working.

This was the first time the boys entertained themselves, and I didn't have to referee much.  Amazing!!

Here's a conversation I had with Knox, that I've found so hilarious, I just have to write it down.  He's into Star Wars and wanted to know if Adam liked it, too, so we texted him to ask.  Here's how a conversation went later...

Knox: Shay, will you be Princess Lea and we can get married?

Shay: Married?  What happens then?

Knox: (he says with attitude!) You know.  Remember your wedding??  You were there.  

Shay: Oh yeah.  Well if we get married, we'd have to kiss on the lips.

Knox: Oh.  Nevermind.

I'm so glad it's almost the weekend again!  Happy Friday!

If These Walls Could Talk

Since we moved in to Narnia about three and a half months ago, our house to the regular, normal person (or husband) probably looked more than complete.  After all, we have a lot of furniture simply because we lucked out with family having extra stuff sitting around.  (And we are so grateful!) 

The walls of our house started talking to me, though, and I finally had a burst of energy to get things hung on the wall.  I'd like to give a shout out to Pinterest and to my parents' third car garage, home to some decor items that are currently unused and waiting for a client to purchase.  So, we have a few things on our walls that could disappear, but for now, they hang in our home!

My mom likes to give me a hard time because I like to nest and have things "just-so" wherever I live (and former roomies can attest).  It's very important to me, for some reason!  My office at work had things on the wall on the second day of my job, and I have two lamps in there to make it feel more cozy.  I guesss this is just the way I am!

Everything in this first photo, is able to stay.  I asked my mom for an old 24x36 frame, which I filled with a map.  I've been on the hunt for more "masculine" things to hang on our walls, since I now share this home with a guy, and not girls, like I've done for the last six years.

I purchased this vintage-looking map (that's actually current) online and modpodged it on to a canvas that I got at Michael's.  I was so proud of myself, because I also attached D-rings and picture hanging wire to the back of the frame and hung it on the wall all by myself.  It pays to have watched your mom do it so many times over the years, I think!

I found the sconces at Kirkland's on clearance, and I was so excited, because for some reason, I've always wanted some above a couch.  Mission accomplished!

Here it is a bit closer up.  I was originally trying to attach the map so that it would be flat and smooth, but that didn't work out so well, so I just went with a little less-smooth effect and chalked it up to an old-world look.  It definitely works for us at the moment!


This blue trapezoid thingy (so high-tech, right?) and the two white flower prints were Dixon garage finds that still had price tags on them when my mom had them in one of her home shows.  So those might disappear at some point, but for now, they're hanging here!  (The "Friends Gather Here" sign was a Christmas gift from Waco roomies one year.  Love it.)

Again, trying to find some things that were less girly for the walls, I found a few things on Pinterest that I printed out on nice photo paper and framed them to hang in our bedroom.  The top left is a Nike diagram of the different parts of the shoe.  I chose the "&" sign because I recently started calling AMP "AMPersand," so I thought both were fitting for Adam. 

On the right is a beautifully framed picture and quote that Adam's mom read to us at our rehearsal dinner.  It was a "Welcome Home" present that we got to open when we came home from our Honeymoon. 

 I'd been wanting to hang this cheery print on this little kitchen wall for a while.  (I took these photos during Birthday Week, hence the streamers!)  We actually got it through the March of Dimes Signature Chef event, back in November.  They have an artist, Christopher Martin, who hosts several kids at his studio and has them paint a huge canvas, and then he takes what they put down and turns it into a really fun work of art.  Limited edition prints can be purchased, and this one was gifted to us by a generous Dad.  ;-)

Excuse the glare, but I just love how fun and happy it is in our kitchen!  I hung it up and then pointed it out to Adam.  It had been hiding between a wall and a table in a thick, brown enevelope.  I learned later that Adam thought the envelope was empty, and he'd been meaning to throw it into the recycling for a while.  Note to self: mark anything valuable in an envelope as such.  Thank goodness that didn't happen!

After all this, I am one nested Shay Bear, which makes for a happy husband.  It's a win-win!

Celebrating Valentine's Day

We celebrated Valentine's Day a bit early this year, and it was great. 

It was full of sweet words and a great dinner, just the way we like things around here.  :-)

I left this big heart on the refrigerator for AMP.  I wrote lots of little things I love about him and us, like, "I love that you take out the trash" (so romantic, right?)

 When I came home from work on Monday, Adam had these hearts on our bed with things he loved about me and us.  I actually put them in my purse the next day so I could look at them whenever I wanted.  Words.  They get me every time.

And then, possibly the thing I appreciate more than words is having a dinner reservation (okay, it's a close second).  Yes, please.  We ate at Nick & Sam's Grill, and shared one of the best meals we've ever eaten together.  Adam had a field green salad with strawberries and champagne-vinaigrette dressing, while I had a Tomato Basil soup.  For the main course, Adam had baby back ribs, and I had pork tenderloin with loaded mashed potatoes.  (ohmyword)  We shared an apple cinnamon bread pudding for dessert that was served warm and with ice cream.  Needless to say, it was a great meal!

I love this photo for several reasons.  First, it captures Adam's smile when he looks at Slizard.  He stops to check on him several times a day and smiles every time.  And secondly, I thought AMP looked extra snazzy in his sport coat and jeans.  

So that was our Valentine's Day, 2012.  Adam worked on the actual day, so I just whipped together whatever was in our fridge for dinner and went to bed at 9:30.  I felt like a new person with so much sleep this morning, haha.  

Thanks for making me feel loved, AMP, more than just on Valentine's Day--I love you!

Happy Valentine's Day, 2012

How We Use Groupon

A few friends have asked how we use Groupon.  They're really surprised when we tell them we found our lodging for California on this site.  Since we've signed up for Groupon, we've elected to receive the regular Groupon emails each day that are for deals in our area, and they also send weekly "Groupon Getaway" emails, which are valid across the country.  Some people mind all the emails, but I personally enjoy looking at all the photos!  

We'd been looking at going skiing this spring, but it was just really expensive, even with a free place to stay with some family friends.  (We are currently on the hunt for some ski buddies, so let us know!)  Instead of skiing, I was looking through Groupon Getaways and found a deal for Mendocino County.  

Let's pretend have the vacation days and funds to go on a trip next month.  I'd look on the site and see that Teton Springs Lodge & Spa looks right up our alley.  So I'd click on it and research it a bit.

{This is what the email looks like, with 10 options or so}

This deal is for two nights for $289. (So that's $145 a night.  It's actually good for four adults, so that's about $75 per couple, per night.  Not bad, if you don't mind sharing a room!)

Doesn't this look lodgy and cozy and like you just want to jump right in??

At this point, I look at "The Fine Print" and figure out if there's a time that would work for us to go.  It looks like you can purchase two Groupons and get four nights out of the deal.

I'd also go to their actual website and see if I could find out more information.  If there are websites with reviews on it, I look through those as well, but also remember that most complainers like to post negative comments, and the people that had a great experience probably don't take the time.  :-)

Now would also be a good time to look for flights to surrounding areas, and what it would cost to rent a car and such.  We found a great new website called OneTravel.com  They have good deals on rental cars and hotels, if you need to stay near the airport one night before driving to your Groupon destination or something.

Something we like to keep in mind:

What I've learned about Groupon is that there are some really great deals.  It's tempting to want to buy them all just because it's a good deal.  If there's something we enjoy doing but don't like to pay out the wazoo for it (like movie tickets), or it's somewhere we shop fairly frequently (like Gap), then it's probably a good deal for us, since we'd probably spend money there anyways.

What if it expires?

If you don't end up using your Groupon before it expires, they will refund your money to use on another Groupon purchase.

Groupon Now Deals

You can also use "Groupon Now" deals that come up just for the weekend.  Typically, Groupons are valid one day after you purchase them, but these particular deals are available right then, and they expire within a few hours.  

We did this Friday night when we purchased a Groupon for a nearby Sports Bar/Tavern that looked good.  We paid $10 for the Groupon (it was a $20 value) and then paid about $10 more once we got to the restaurant.  So we ended up paying about $20 for a $30 meal.  Not a huge savings there, but some!  And we learned about a new place that we like, so it was a win-win.

Our Experience

We've used Groupon from things like food to clothes to travel, and I have to say that it's been a really positive experience.  Although we've never had a bad one, Groupon does say that if you're not satisfied, they'll refund your money.  

ps.  Groupon has no idea I exist or that I'm writing this.  It's for your own personal benefit--because who doesn't love a good deal!

Go hug your people.

via

I could not help but laugh at this post about a newly married couple and her "birthday expectations."

I could not help but smile at this post about celebrating Tea for Two in the woods.  Looks pretty magical to me. 

I've been reminded lately that life is fragile.  Life can be short.  Life is precious.  So I am all about celebrating the birthdays.  The little things.  The big things.  And everything in between.

So go hug your people today.  Tell them you love them.  And for goodness sakes, celebrate the heck out of 'em.

WW12: Winter Weekend 2012

In between AMP's b-day and our trip to California, I helped out with Winter Weekend at Valley Ranch, which used to be Disciple Now when I grew up there.  Even better, I got to lead the girls with Amanda, who came up from Waco at the last minute.  They had so many kids signed up that we needed extra houses and more leaders!

The house we stayed in handled 18 girls and the two leaders beautifully.  I swear it was like living in a Pottery Barn catalogue.  Amanda and I even got our own bedroom downstairs with a connected bathroom.  (We ended up sharing it with the girls, but hey, it was better than a sleeping bag!!)

This weekend is special to me personally, because I went for the first time in seventh grade.  It was there that I got my first devotional book and they talked about the importance of spending time praying and reading God's Word on a regular basis.  It truly changed my life. 

During the group sessions, We They played gross boys vs. girls games like finding little smokies in a bin full of Cool Whip.  (The girls won.  Because we're clearly more awesome.)

We also went on a "Bigger and Better" scavenger hunt, where each grade started out with a paper clip, and they went from house to house asking to trade it for something larger or more valuable.  It was a great way for people to get rid of their junk!  What we didn't account for was that no one wanted to trade junk for junk, they just wanted to give it to us.  We ended up with the church lobby full of c-r-a-p (and a few good things), a stressed out staff, and one very unhappy facilities manager, left to wonder what to do with all that stuff before church started on Sunday morning!  It was cleared out soon after, and it sure made for a good laugh.  :-)

 A few of the girls on our scavenger hunt

Our Loot

Senior boys are strange.  And clearly comfortable in their own skin to dress up like this!

The girls were really sweet.  We had about four times in small groups, which isn't a lot, considering it would be really beneficial if you could get down to the deeper conversations, but that takes time.  Given the small amount of free time and group time, though, I think we made progress and hopefully impacted these girls. 

It struck me how sweet and interested in us these girls were.  We were trying to get to know them, but they were quite interested in us.  They were confused about what Amanda and I do for work, and what a a non-profit is.  They asked if we make any money, haha.  We explained that we make enough, but not a whole lot.  :-)  That was an interesting concept to them.  They also wanted to know about our husbands and a little about married life.  It was cute the questions they asked.

The most meaningful thing that one of the girls did, though, was say, "Thanks for driving us!" as she hopped out of  my back seat.  I couldn't believe she'd just thanked me for the five-minute ride.  But that really made a huge impact on me. 

Megan, Jacklyn, me and Amanda---Saturday during lunch = exhausted leaders.

I love these three girls so much.  Megan and Jacklyn were the senior girls' leaders, and we got to spend quite a bit of time with them hanging out during large group times.  Megan and Amanda were friends from Waco, and Meg's husband, Rich, is now the youth pastor at Valley Ranch.  Jacklyn's husband is one of youth interns, and he ran all the games on stage, not to mention all sorts of behind the scenes stuff.  It was so cool to get to see OUR FRIENDS do their thing!  They are great at their jobs, and great with the youth.  

The lack of sleep was totally worth it to me.  Here's to Winter Weekend 2013!!!

Adam's Birthday Celebrations!

We celebrated AMP's birthday all weekend, which I loved.  I think he grew to love it by the end of the weekend, ha.  Apparently the whole "multi-day celebration" is a Dixon thing.  (Paulsons celebrate, of course!!, just maybe not as long as we do down here.)  We are all for dragging it out and celebrating as long as possible.  Why not?!

Friday night, I went to the fire station for dinner and brought cake and ice cream, as I mentioned here.  Alas, I have no photos of this, as it wouldn't be cool.  :-)  So after that, I headed home to bake and also decorate.  Thanks to Pinterest, my mind is just whirring with creative ideas, and I was so excited to decorate the house festively.

Saturday Morning

AMP was quite surprised when he walked in the door!

Where we sat to eat our French Toast Breakfast.  {I loved using our wedding gifts!!} 

Making French Toast.  (Awesome morning hair.)

Saturday Night

Saturday night we went to eat at a wings/burger place called BoomerJack's (Adam's fave) with SMoo and the Lackeys.  They all came over after to the house to hang out.  It was really low-key and chill.  Adam was entertained mostly by Slizard, who happened to surprise us and eat five crickets while we were sitting in there.  Hopefully our friends won't remember us as the crazy lizard people!! 

We all laughed when we saw this, because AMP looks like he got high off his candles.  

(You can sort of see the Angel Food Trifle cake that I made.  You refrigerate it overnight, so everything mixes together and tastes good and cold.  The layers aren't as pretty as I'd hoped since they all mixed, but I think if I make it again next time, I'll add graham cracker crumbles or something in between to give it a little more stability.  Live and learn!)

Sunday Night

We went bowling with my fam to celebrate--Mom, Dad, Papa, Jonita, Mark and Laura were there, and Vicki and Gerald Caldwell joined us, too, because they're like family!

Bowl at your own risk!

Laura and Vicki

Gerald and Gary

(Sorry, Ger, this is the only pic I had, and I wanted to document that you were there!)

Sheri and Mark

Papa and Jonita

Look at that form!  AMP was in a bowling league for about five years in elementary school, so he was giving me some much-needed tips.  

Mark beat Adam by one point in the first game that we all played.  Then, just the guys played the second time, because the girls kept having to be prompted that it was their turn--we were a bit more interested in chatting!

Artsy bowling pic.  After this was taken, either Mark or Adam said, "This is so gay."  Ha.  But it turned out to be cute!

 
 

Opening gifts!  This pic makes me laugh, because Mark is trying to read a game score or something on the phone, but he's squinting.  Ha!

The whole crew!

Gary, Gerald, Mark, AMP, Papa

Sheri, Vicki, Laura, Me and Jonita

\

He makes me laugh.  All. the. time.

And the party don't stop...

Just because they're in Iowa doesn't keep Adam's side of the fam out of this post!  He got his birthday box in the mail with this cordless drill.  One of Adam's goals in life is to have a workshop like his Dad's.  I think he is well on his way, based on all the tools he's gotten lately!  (I secretly love this, because it means more projects around the house can be done!)

I feel like I should say THANK YOU to Mike and Norene, becuase if they hadn't had him, then I wouldn't be married to this crazy, wonderful guy that makes me smile and laugh and fixes things around here.  I'm really grateful.  :-)

Adam told me several times all weekend how loved and celebrated he felt.  Thanks to everyone who made this weekend memorable and special.

Here's to many more!