15 Things I've Learned About Marriage So Far

15. If you decide to rearrange the kitchen cabinets, let your husband know where each item was moved to, especially the cereal bowls. He'll be lost forever if you don't.

14. Tell your husband how much you appreciate them.

13. Marriage doesn't become a dream come true on its own, you must work at it.

12. Husbands appreciate the little things, even if it's organizing their underwear drawer.

11. Tell your husband EVERYTHING you bought when you went shopping. He'll figure out you bought more than tennis shoes when you also come out wearing a new pair of jeans.

10. Make every night a date night, even if it's eating cereal on the couch.

9. Husbands make the best foot warmers. God also gave them two hands for a reason- to give foot massages.

8. Your husband will tell you what's wrong on his own time. Just let him know you'll be there to listen when he feels like sharing.

7. Your husband will not know his hair clippings on the bathroom sink bother you unless you tell him.

6. Praying together every night does something special to your marriage.

5. If your husband tells you the supper you make looks like a muffin and tastes like a hot dog, but is ok, he really means, "please don't make this thing you call meatloaf ever again."

4. Husbands aren't perfect.

3. Husbands can't read minds. Communication is key.

2. When your husband says you look sexy in fleece Christmas tree pj pants, you know you have a keeper.

1. Keep God number one.

Holy Cow It's Been a Month!!!!

So....I am shocked I haven't written in a month! I must update you on my life:

1. Andy and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. (We also secretly celebrated it being our last "dating" anniversary!) We got all dressed up real perty like and went to California Pizza Kitchen. We had originally planned on eating Cheesecake Factory, but it was a 2 hour wait!

Here we are all dressed up. You can see the roses he gave me :)
Oh! And I love bragging about my bargains...Dress: $10

Waiting for our table. We were STARVING!!!

We were rear ended on the way there :(, but luckily hardly any damage.

2. I realized I have less than 4 months until the wedding!!!! I can't believe it! I am going to be a grown up married lady! Sometimes I still see myself as a kid.

3. We got a new boarder collie puppy named Sadie. She's so sweet!


4. I competed in the WIBI Opening Act Contest and made it to the quarter-finals (top 45). I was so excited! I've always loved to sing and see it as a great way to witness to others. I didn't make it any further, but I thought I did my best and sang it for the Lord....In my eyes, I won :)

Singing "Glorious One" by Steve Fee. It had a GINORMOUS range. I almost cried when I found out how wide the range was and wondered why I picked it. There was some major belting going on!

I HAVE to tell you about the bargains going on here:
The cute blue peep toe wedges: $15 (List Price: $80!!!)
Jeans: $7.50 (List Price: $40!!!)
The jeans were also a size smaller than what I usually wear, which is always an added bonus!
The shirt was also cheap and was picked out by my wonderful roomy!

5. We started pre-marital counseling. Eeek! (again, realizing I'm growing up!)

6. I am officially on spring break!!!! My last class was today (Tuesday), and I don't have any class on Monday this next (and last!) 8 weeks, which means I get 12 days off!!! Be jealous...

That was my February! I think it was a good one ;)

Licking Fingers

One day while I was doing TONS of laundry, I decided to make cookies! Now I LOVE cookies, but I love cookie dough even more. Make it double chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and I'm in heaven. Here is how it all went down:

Beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter/margarine and sugar until fluffy....do not start tasting the dough yet. Not good tasting.

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time. Don't get in a rush and set the microwave longer. You will get burnt chocolate chips and that would just be a waste of perfectly good chocolate, now wouldn't it?!Look at that chocolate licking potential!

Yum Yum!

Don't forget to wash your finger off after licking. We don't want to share germs!

Add 1 egg and 1/4 tsp vanilla

Add combined: 3/4 c. flour, 3/4 c. oats, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.

Don't forget to taste! VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

Look at that beater. If you would like, you can share a beater with a friend, or you can eat both yourself. Don't forget to check your face before going into public. Licking beaters can get messy!

Everyone should have this book. Period.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.

Mmmmmmmm.......

Cool for a minute (or as long as you can stand it) and indulge!!!!!!!!!!
And don't forget to lick the chocolate off your fingers!

Goals!

Last night at Chi Alpha Bible study, we were asked to make goals for this coming year. When thinking about what I wanted to do in 2009, I realized that many of my long-term goals that I've had set for years will finally be accomplished. It was exciting, overwhelming, and it kind of made me feel old. With the goals that are soon to be accomplished came new goals that I've never been able to set. It's really exciting actually. One will always have goals. When a goal is reached, a door is opened for another higher goal to be set. Here are some of the goals that I wrote down for 2009:

1. Have a stronger desire to know God through scripture and prayer.

2. Be an example of Christ to others and be a role model for those to look up to.

3. Be a wife. (One goal I will soon accomplish!) I don't just want to be a wife, I want to be a great wife. Someone who Andy will want to come home to everyday, someone who does little things "just because", someone who will stick with it through thick and thin. I can't wait! I've had this goal since I was 3 when I played wedding with my cousin. I always said my goal was to be married by the age of 22. The wedding will be two weeks before my 22nd birthday- close enough!

4. Be a nurse. (Another one I will hopefully be able to check off my list!! Fingers crossed!) This includes graduating and getting a job. I want to be a nurse that people remember. If you've ever stayed in a hospital, you will always remember the nurse who went the extra mile for you. I want have an impact on my patients and leave them with a sense of hope, renewal, and joy. The first year of nursing can be the hardest. My hope is that I will continue to have the desire to care for people.

5. Gain a spouse, but not gain pounds. Andy and I have promised each other that we will NOT GET FAT after we get married. I sure hope we don't! Andy has always said that even if I was 300 pounds, he would still love me. That's very sweet of him, but I'd rather stay way below that! We're both pretty health conscious, so I'm hoping that sticks with us after marriage.

6. My last goal is to stay in contact with friends. After graduation, I'm moving to Wood River for good. No going home every other weekend to see friends and family. I'm going to be shoved into the real world. I won't be seeing friends from home or college as often as I would like to. Thank you Jesus for Facebook!!! I will have to make a conscious effort to stay in contact and not let those friendships slip away.

So there are my goals. Hopefully in a year I'll be able to look back and reflect on how much I have accomplished! Then I will be able to set new and exciting goals. Who knows maybe children will be on the list! (Just kidding....if it's there, it'll be a LONG-TERM GOAL!)

Cupcakealicious!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight a group of us girls went out to eat chocolate at Bissinger's before Kim went off to Japan to teach! All girls love chocolate! After getting lost, then finding the place, then hunting forever to find a parking spot, then walking forever in our very cute but uncomfortable boots in the cold we finally got to the place, only to find out we would have to wait 40 minutes to be seated. The place was very cool, but was very low on seating. Only 4 or 5 tables in the entire place! Not enough for 7 people and other customers! Luckily for us, The Cupcakery was just around the corner! Cupcakes are a girl's 2nd best friend! The cupcakes there were GINORMOUS, but the best. Here are some pictures to sum up the night...

My Delicious Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake with my Skim Milk (Have to Stay Healthy!)

This is when I realized my cupcake was half eaten and I became very sad...

My cupcake is all gone....Well worth all the calories!!!


Nina loved her cupcake!


Some of us girls...

Roomies!!!!


I thought the light shades were very cool...


I always wanted a sister.....not much longer and I'll have one!

Good luck in Japan, Kim!!!! I know God has a plan for you and will be using you in so many ways. We'll all miss you!!!!

Humbled

Tuesday I had the opportunity to wash the homeless' feet. My first thought....GROSS!!!!! We saw people who lived in shelters and on the streets. All we did was wash their feet and give them some information on how to care for their feet. The looks on their faces were ones of eternal gratitude. Something so simple meant the world to them. It's so easy to take everyday things such as bathing, food, a warm house, and clean socks for granted.

Washing feet also reminded me of the example Jesus set for us when he washed the feet of the disciples. He humbled himself before his disciples- even the one who was going to betray him- and did the low task of washing their feet.

I challenge myself and others to not take anything for granted and to humble ourselves. Instead of complaining about going to school, I should be joyous that I have the privilege of going. Instead of complaining about not having anything to wear, I should be grateful that I have more than one outfit in my closet. Be humble, reflect on what you have, and don't take anything for granted. Most importantly, follow Jesus' example and "wash feet".

Thank You Mr. President

Today we got a new president. I was filled with a million emotions including excitement, fear, pride, and sadness. While watching George Bush walk out during the inauguration, I had no idea that I would become so emotional. This sadness for the loss of a president turned into anger as people around me started making degrading remarks towards the soon to be former president. I cried and cried and cried. It was not fair.

I know many do not agree with the decisions Bush made over his 8 years in office, but the guy still deserves respect. He was after all our president and leader. I hate how so many go by what the media says and do not dig to find the truth for themselves. I hate how society blames so much on one person when that person had no control over the situation.

I decided to research the good things Bush has done for our country. I was surprised, pleased, and proud of our past president. Here are some of the good things he has done for us:

-Proclaimed a National Day of Prayer during his first month in office.
-Airline safety
-Sent military to Afghanistan, dismantled the Taliban and liberated 25 million people
-Established Office of Homeland Security
-Signed the Pledge of Allegiance Bil reaffirming "One Nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God we Trust" as the National Motto.
-Initiated military with Iraq dismantling the Saddam Hussein regime, liberating 22 million people.
-Amber Alert Bill
-Passed more Pro-life bills than any other president
-Called for Constitutional Amendment protecting marriage
-KEPT THE US FROM BEING ATTACKED FOR 7 YEARS!!!
-Established faith-based programs
-He gives God the glory

These are just a few. The guy had 2 hard terms. A lot of the things that happened were out of his control. Do I agree with everything he did? No. I just wish people would give him a little more respect, that's all. I can't imagine being briefed EVERY MORNING on the threats our nation faced. What a drag! That's not something I would want to wake up to. I loved the line in Bush's farewell speech when he said:

You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.

And that's what I admire about Bush- he tried his best. I hope in the future, people will look back and see that Bush wasn't all that bad. I also hope Obama receives respect. He is our president, our leader, and he now bears the weight of the world on his shoulders.

So now I'm done venting. I would like to say Thank You Mr. President Bush for doing your best and Thank You Mr. President Obama for volunteering to lead our country. It's going to be an exciting 4 years!

Tights!!

I think a man invented tights. Yesterday I decided to wear my gray tights. I'm just now getting into this tights thing and almost forgot how big of a pain they are. I made a few rules that might be helpful for those of you who have decided to wear tights also:

1. Do not try to put on tights directly after taking a shower or putting on lotion. It will be nearly impossible.
2. Gather the tights with your two thumbs like your momma taught you. This is the best and quickest way. Don't try to pull them on. You're just asking for trouble.
3. Pull the tights up as far as they go...usually up to the boobs (control top can't hurt for the boobage area either, right?....and you're getting a 2 for 1!) Any lower and you'll get rolls. Sometimes this rule requires jumping. A great workout for the day!
4. Take Gas-X. I don' know about you, but tights make me feel bloated. I think it's the control top squishing all my organs together.

After following all of these rules (I unfortunately forgot the Gas-X one), I looked in the mirror and saw how cute I looked in my gray tights, black knee boots, and blue sweater dress. I guess tights aren't THAT bad after all!

Pizza Cook-off!!!!!

Saturday night Andy and I went on a double date with one our favorite couples- Drew and Jenna. No one cared what we did. No on movies. Maybe a jazz club, but we would have to lay down at least $40/couple- no one wanted to do that. After ho humming around, we decided to have a pizza cook-off at Andy's house. For those who don't know, the Schneiders are VERY competitive. It was pretty much an instant go.

We made some rules:

1. Boys vs. Girls
2. Cannot be pre-made
3. You only have 10 minutes in Shop in Save to get your things.

Jenna and I decided on making Garlic Chicken Stuffed Crust Pizza with Special Sauce (alfredo and red sauce with sauteed garlic- DELICIOUS!)

The boys made Sausage, Peperoni, Bacon, Canadian Bacon, and Green Pepper Stuffed Crust Pizza.Here they are picking out the cheese. (Which by the way was HILARIOUS!)

This is what I imagined they were saying:

"So um, dude, what cheese should we get."
"Oh, I don't know, dude. Should we do stuffed crust."
"I don't know, man. Are the girls doing it."
"I dont know, man. Let's just do it!"
"Yeah, let's do it! Grab the big bag!"
"Let's do it!"
"This will be enough cheese to bind you up for a week!" -Actual words from Andy

We checked our ingredients out. Girls won cost efficiency by a land slide. 1 point girls, 0 boys.
We went back to Andy's house and started baking. Us girls had a little set back after we burned the garlic, but that didn't discourage us. Our pizza turned out beautiful:

Jenna making the special sauce...

Our finished pizza ready to be put in the oven. It was so beautiful.

The boys had a lot of work to do with their pizza including frying the bacon and sausage. I think they were a little intimidated by our beautiful pizza and that we cooked the crust for a bit before we put the toppings on. Their pizza was LOADED with toppings.

Drew making the stuffed crust. You can see their ginormous bag of cheese...
Andy putting on the finishing touches.

Finally at 8:30, the pizzas were finished. (We had started at 6:00. Talk about being hungry!) Here are the final pictures:

The boys' pizza. Voted best topping and most manly.

Our pizza. Voted best sauce and crispiest crust.

We decided the pizza cook-off would end in a tie. Each pizza was eaten and enjoyed, and we had a blast making them- the most important part. We finished up the night by eating a chocolate pudding pie and falling asleep on our sweeties watching a movie. What a great double date!

Handy Dandy

I swear this house is cursed! It seems as though every time I turn around, something else has broken. Lately our shower has been clogged- probably not so much the house's fault, but more three girls using one shower-, the knob on the shower mysteriously broke off, and the light in my room is burnt out. I decided that I would become handy and fix everything. I'm a very girly girl, but even girly girls like to fix things.

Nina and I had already tried fixing the shower knob, but the knob we got didn't fit. I had Andy go to Lowe's in Edwardsville to pick another one up. It's amazing how differently a man and woman's brain functions. I tried describing the knob to Andy. This is kind of how it went:

Me- Well, it's kind of hexegon, but just the part that fits to the poke out part, but the knob is
round, and the one we already bought at Walmart had little pokey things that came out of
it, so it didn't fit. So do you see one at Lowe's that would work?
Andy- What? Umm, I don't know what your talking about.
Me- It's hexegon, well let me go see again, well one part's hexegon, but it's round too.
Andy- I don't see what you're talking about. Can't find it.

So I checked the faucet knob off my fix-it list. 1 down, 2 to go.

Next was the drain. We figured it was clogged when the water started going up to our ankles when we showered. Grant (the homeowner) had told us just to go to the basement, unscrew the pipe, and a discusting ball of hair would slop out. Gross, but so is ankle shower water. So Nina and I went down stairs with a wrench (how fix-itish!) and tried to find the pipe. There are a lot of pipes in the basement. The one coming from the tub had a lot of twists and turns, so we decided it was probably best not to tackle that one ourselves. 2 down, 1 to go. Nothing fixed.

Last, my light. I thought for sure I could do this one. It's a light! And a very cool one with a remote. I can lay in bed and turn my light on or off, or even dim them! I made Andy put one in the house. ( He can thank Grant and Molly for that one!) I unscrewed the globe, which was a challenge in itself, and found the tiniest wierdest light bulb ever! I of course didn't have it and therefore couldn't replace. So much for that.

All three jobs were attempted, but none were completed. I was unsuccessfully handy. My friend Lindsey put it best when she said, "Try to be handy, but when you become unseccessfully handy, call the boyfriend." So I did :)

Little Life Lessons

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment in Robinson and had some extra time. What else do you do with extra time but go to Walmart! And that I did! We didn’t have anything to drink at home besides water (heaven for bid if I drink it!), so I decided to get Fresca. I love Fresca! Fruity, Spritey, and calorie free!!! And they had a flavor I had never tried- exciting! I checked out, went on my way to the dentist (only one almost cavity- since when do dentists diagnose you with an “almost cavity”??) and drove home. I carried my bags in (garland for $1!) and decided I was parched. I went to get the Fresca out of the car and it was nowhere to be found! I had left it behind at Walmart. Here is where the little life lesson came into effect. Little Life Lesson #1: Make sure you have all items when leaving Walmart. I was not happy. I was thirsty. I wanted my fruity, spritey, calorie free, new flavored Fresca! I called Walmart- they didn’t have it, but if I brought in my receipt they would give me my Fresca. Of course I already threw that away! I dug through the gross trash and found my receipt with my paid for Fresca. So until I take my receipt to Walmart to pick it up, I will be stuck drinking water and will have to wait to drink my Fresca.

Today after supper I was hungry for something sweet! I looked at the clock- 7:00 and saw I had an hour and a half to make something and eat it (I made a New Year’s resolution to not eat anything after 8:30). I decided to make no bake cookies. I love these things! Oatmeal, pb, and chocolate. The perfect cookie. Since the big pan that I usually make them in was dirty (and I wasn’t about to wash it by hand), I decided to make a half batch with the smaller pan. I had the chocolate sauce made and was ready to put the oatmeal in. Little Life Lesson #2: Make sure you have everything before you make anything food. Woops! No oatmeal. Now what! I could eat the chocolate with a spoon, but that’s much more unhealthy than eating the entire batch of cookies. I certainly was not going to throw out precious chocolate and peanut butter sauce. I decided to add Rice Crispies. Chocolate, pb, and rice crispies. Sounded good to me! I plopped the rice crispie creations out into little balls and tasted. Not too bad, not too great either. Even though they were a little chewy, a bit soggy, kind of dry and brittle, I had about 5. But don’t worry, it was before 8:30. Ok, most of them were before 8:30. Little Life Lesson #3: Does anyone ever follow their new year’s resolution 100% of the time?