Of Friendship and History...

Ryan and I were able to take a getaway trip together this past week. We returned home yesterday from six days in the Washington, D.C. area. It was so wonderful to be able to spend that time investing solely in one another. There were no little mouths to feed, no strollers or diaper bags to lug, no work emails or conference meetings to attend to, no early bedtimes to adhere to. We enjoyed our adventure together - there's truly no one else I'd rather travel with, partner with, and explore with than my Ryan.

While in the D.C. area, we were able to hang out with a couple of my oldest friends. One is Robin, who you see above. I was so excited to see her again - it has been at least 7 years since we last got together, and nearly 9 years since we saw her husband as well. Thankfully, through the craziness of blogs and Facebook, we've been able to keep in touch. Ryan and I were so enamored with her little guy, Elliott - you can't tell it in this picture, but he has the most amazing red hair and HUGE grin.
We covered a TON of ground in D.C. - starting with a Segway tour that my parents gave to us. We were a little concerned that we'd be the youngest on the tour... but that was not the case, and we had a BLAST! I highly recommend Segway tours to anyone - they are fun, informative, fun, interesting, fun, different, and fun! Our tour guide had a wealth of information and facts to share without being too dry or just droning on and on. We went all over the main parts of D.C. that morning and learned so much about some of the history of the city, as well as some "hidden" tidbits of knowledge that we wouldn't have discovered on this trip otherwise.
Some places we went while in D.C. are: The Smithsonian Museums of Natural History, American History, Air & Space, the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, the National Holocaust Museum, Ford's Theater, Union Station, Old Town Alexandria, WWII Memorial, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Archives, and so much more. {I'm sure my next several posts will be about various things we did on this trip!}
While traversing the streets and underground Metro system in the area, I couldn't help but wonder what that region looked like nearly 250 years ago as our country was in its infancy. So much history is wrapped up in and around D.C. - from the city itself, to surrounding areas such as Manassas, Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg, Baltimore, and even up to Philadelphia and New York. 250 years is a long time, but when I think a little further, it's but a drop in the bucket compared to other parts of the world and the history they would contain. Nevertheless, it's a humbling thought to think that you're walking some of the same streets that our founding fathers once trod... without the concrete.
Speaking of our Founding Fathers, being around their monuments (which I'm sure they would be possibly quite embarrassed to have their likenesses enshrined for millions to see every year) makes me want to read several of their biographies. We read quote upon quote from Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and many others -- many of which are very powerful and spoken with such strong conviction. Time has a way of adding to the legend of these great men, but if their quotes have any bearing on who they were in their day-to-day lives, we have a great legacy of strong Christian men at the helm of our nation. I pray that continues, but I also fear that our nation is losing sight of the Christian foundations we were built upon.

We halfway joked about it at the time, but it's probably not a bad idea -- maybe each person who is elected to office should have to take a tour of all the monuments and read every quote at least once a year while in office.

We missed the main part of the cherry trees being in full blossom, but we did see a few! Peak blooming should happen sometime around April 4th.
Ryan and I drove up to Baltimore, MD on Saturday to go to the Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium. Now THAT is an aquarium! I could have spent all day there. Part of me still continues to want to be a marine biologist when I grow up -- I admit, I was a tad envious of the ladies who were swimming with the dolphins during the dolphin show!
The last couple of days of our trip were spent with these two dear friends, Shawn and Kelli. Kelli is my dear friend and soul-sister, and we don't get enough time together at all but do all we can to get together if we're anywhere near one another. Shawn serves in the USMC and is currently stationed at Quantico, just south of D.C. We got to sneak away to Georgetown to tour the National Cathedral and share a meal, as well as tour Mt. Vernon the next day and play an impossible game, Pandemic. There were several cupcakes and cake balls consumed...
This trip holds many memories. While in the midst of so much history, I know that Ryan and I will always be able to look back upon this time and fondly remember the history that we were part of in those moments... special moments shared together and with friends.

Amen.

Please, if you have about 5 minutes, read this.

Food Prep...

Future architect? Engineer?
Sous chef?
Whatever he may be, may he always have this joy.

Nine...

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found
--from "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson

Happy 9th Anniversary, Ryan.

...to the moon...

Vows for Parenthood...

Sometimes I wish there were some sort of vows for parenthood. Something that you promised to your children, something to recite back to yourself when trying days and weeks occurred in the parenthood journey, something to remind you of WHY you're doing this. Doctors have the Hippocratic Oath and married couples have their marriage vows - both statements made publicly to describe and proclaim their devotion and determination.

It's been "one of those weeks" for me. I have tried to teach, then to discipline, tried again, and again, lost my temper, yelled, cried, asked for forgiveness, prayed with and over my boys, and repeated the process more times that I care to admit. I've been reminded to stay consistent - and I'm truly doing my best - but I'm just tired. The closest thing I have to a parenting vow are these verses, and I am clinging to the first one for dear life...

Proverbs 22:6 - Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Deuteronomy 4:9 - Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 11:19 - Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The biggest lesson to me in these verses today is that I am leading by example - by my words, actions and reactions, and by my choices. I fail daily in saying the right words and making the right choices (and acting upon the right choices) each and every moment. But, I pray that somehow I am doing something right... maybe it's in letting them all see that their Mama is weak, and needs a Big GOD to help her out.
The saying "parenting is heart work" is certainly true. Sure, I'm physically tired from caring for these three (incredibly cute) boys - but it's the emotional side of parenting that will bring me to my knees every day.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

...some of the recent (and not so recent but still fun) events/creations/things we've been up to.

Last Friday, Ryan and I got a fairly rare treat of a night out with all adults. Our dear friends, Scott and Jill, had given us some concert tickets for Christmas and the concert was last Friday. We went to see Rend Collective, Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, and Louie Giglio at a mega-church in the Woodlands. It was fabulous - I almost felt like I was revisiting some college days while listening to Christy Nockels sing and then listening to Louie Giglio speak!

We were given a tough time by some of the friends who went with us, because Ryan and I are admittedly not the biggest Chris Tomlin fans. Don't get me wrong - if you're familiar with his music, it's all very good and the lyrics are fabulous and very worshipful - but I think we're both "tapped out" on him. Our area Christian radio station plays at least one of his songs (if not two or three) every hour, and we sing many of the songs he's written in church. Again - it's not a bad thing! - it's just a saturation level for us. We were excited to see him in concert again, though - that's where both of us were introduced to his music in college, through concerts. He puts on a very good live show. Christy Nockels still remains one of my favorite female vocalists. Girlfriend can SANG.

Funny story here... Ryan works with a guy named Jeff, who he's developed a friendship with since they've been working together (isn't it great when you like the folks you work with? Bonus.). Jeff's father-in-law owns a successful floral shop in the Houston area near the medical center, and Valentine's Day was quickly approaching. Of course, Valentine's Day = The Busiest Day of the Year in the floral industry. Jeff approached Ryan to ask him if he would consider taking Valentine's Day off in order to be contract labor for the flower shop and be a delivery guy for the day.

He did.

He enjoyed it!

And he brought home a gorgeous arrangement made of my favorite flowers. :)
Super Bowl to me means better-than-average commercials and yummy food. I honestly don't care much about the actual game... just not much of a fan of pro football. Anyhow, here was my contribution to this year's Super Bowl party - cake pops! Football shaped cake balls on a lollipop stick! They sure started out cute, but as they warmed up, gravity took it's toll and we had fumbles all over the countertop. At least they all tasted great!
These last three are some of my favorites of the boys from recent weeks. We were at my folks' house one evening, and the boys were helping Papa pick peppers. I'm not sure if they picked a peck of peppers, but they got quite a few! The one of Logan at the end of the post is probably one of my all-time favorites of the kid. He is one spicy pepper himself!