Anniversary Picnic

Last night Cody and I went on a little Anniversary Picnic at a park close to our house.

Barbeque Chicken Pita Pockets for both of us; Chips for him and sweet potato fries and salad for me.And then a little strawberry nectarine shortcake for dessert. This would have looked a lot prettier as a parfait but thats just not practical for picnics...

I thought we were just going to lay in the grass and be lazy...
But then, Cody somehow convinced me to play a little frisbee golf.Even though I really did try [see my little frisbee waaay out there...?], I finished the course at 30....over par

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

[Memphis, March 2009]

I hope that you and your family have a fabulous day of fun and relaxation. I am so proud to be an American. And I am so thankful for our troops, especially today.

[Magic Kindgom, July 4, 2006]

Wedding Tidbits

Sunday is the big day...our one year anniversary! I've already posted about my fabulous bridemaids and my wonderful family. Today, let me share a few little random tidbits....

1. My cake was beautiful. Stephanie at The Sweetest Day was wonderful to work with. She was sweet, professional and made me a fabulous cake. Don't you love how she printed out our "monogram" on edible paper. LOVE it! I am super excited about eating the top tier tomorrow...especially since I only got to eat about 1 bite at the wedding!2. My wedding/reception would not have been nearly as good without the generosity of so many people. So many of my moms friends and members of her Sunday School class stepped in (after my dad died and our budget had to be "adjusted" a little bit) and did so much of the decorating and practically all of the food. Thinking about it now I am still overwhelmed by the love they showed our family. And then our church family in Virginia (hi, Bryon!) brought so much of our stuff back from Nashville and put it on our apartment while we were on our honeymoon. Thank you, Jesus for wonderful people.

3. With one week to go I still did not have a veil. So, my friend Jaina made me one. (In seven days. Wow.) And it is beautiful! I was so so happy with it!

4. I had wanted to do a sand ceremony ever since I saw Ryan and Trista do it in 2003. I am so glad I did. So much better than a unity candle. We had our family members "pour into us" and then we poured our sand (me= red; Cody=silver) together to signify our new life together. Our sand now lives in our kitchen so that when I am frustrated about my lack of a dishwasher and the fact that my husband refuses to wash any dishes and I can remember our wedding day and restrain myself from killing him.

5. I love Brent Gambrell. He took control of the rehearsal when I was freaking out, officiated our wedding so beautifully and is pretty much responsible for the fact that Cody and I are together.

6. Isn't my flower girl the sweetest...? Love her. Before we started dating her mom told Cody and I that she didn't think we were right for each other...but I hope think she feels differently now. 7. I love my wedding music. If I had it to do over, I would do it the exact same way.

Seating of the Grandparents and Cody's mom - The Prayer, Celine Dion and Andrea Bodecelli

Processional (Sung by Kara and Aaron Loy)

Bridal Party - Come and Make My Heart Your Home, Watermark

Bride - And Now My Lifesong Sings, Casting Crowns

Sand Ceremony (Sung by my bridesmaids Erin and Alicia) - Captivate Us, Watermark

8. My husband's cousin signed our guestbook, "The next time you get married, don't wear white." Wow. Thank you.

My Family

Continuing with sharing wedding pictures (since its anniversary week!), today I'm sharing pictures of my family on wedding day.

My sister, best friend and maid of honor

My adorable little brother...he looks so thrilled, right?

My bouquet with my dad's picture

My mom walking me down the aisle [PS: I tried to tell her that she was supposed to go on the other side of me but she insisted that she be on my left...]

I managed to make it down the aisle without crying but then I put a rose in my dad's seat...and then I lost it

Dad's Family: My Grandmother, Aunt Judy and Uncle Jack

Mom's Family....way too many members to list!

My family helped to make it a wonderful wedding day and I am so thankful for that.

For the record, Mama, I am really sorry that I told you that you were ruining my wedding day by going home to get ready instead of getting ready at the church. I was being dramatic and having my only a bridezilla moment. I'm glad we can laugh about it now....right? :)

My Bridesmaids

I could not let anniversary week pass by without thinking of the wonderful girls that stood up next to me on the biggest day of my life.

I have the best friends and I had 6 wonderful girls as my bridesmaids. One of my favorite memories of the day is:

Right before Cody and I stepped up to the altar I looked over to see that all of my bridesmaids were sobbing. That immediately dried up my tears and - I'm not sure why - I had a little laugh about it. It definitely calmed me down.

Another favorite memory: Eating a seriously huge ("This is a meal for someone who just broke up with someone, not like someone who's getting married!") and delicious breakfast in our hotel room on the morning of the wedding and enjoying my last few minutes of relaxation before starting my crazy day.

Thank you girls for being so wonderful! I love you!

One year ago today...

On this very day last year, everything was craziness. I was 4 days away from my wedding, still grieving over my dad's death, trying to be sensitive to other family members who were grieving, rushing to take care of last minute details and seriously struggling with crazy mood swings as my body adjusted to birth control (was that TMI...? Sorry. Just trying to give you an accurate picture of my mental state). I was a mess. For serious. But then Cody finally arrived in Nashville and he brought me the best, most wonderful, adorable wedding present:


Although I had wanted a dog for so long, this was completely unexpected. I thought that 1.) a dog was out of our price range [while I think that adoption is wonderful and I really appreciate those who adopt dogs, I knew that I wanted a chihuahua] and 2.) there is no way that our landlord would let us have one. But Cody worked a little fiance magic and I am so glad that he did.

After suggesting many, many names we decided to call her Tifi, which is the Haitian Creole word for "little girl." We met in Haiti and she was our little girl so it was a perfect fit for her. And the perfect wedding present for me.

Week 4 in Review plus some food

We've been back from camp almost a week and life is somewhat settling back into something that looks like "normal."

[That is, if you call a week filled with friends from out of town (2 different times!), self-defense class with the SOCS girls, a not-so-pleasant illness, church activities, celebrating America normal. Actually, that is pretty normal for us.]

I've lost 1.2 of the 2 pounds that I gained while we were out of town, all the while taking anti-biotics so I feel pretty good about that. That only brings my grand total to 3 pounds or something ridiculous like that BUT I am making healthier eating choices: more fruits, vegetables, fiber and herbal tea; less meat, sugar, diet sodas, coffee, artificial sweeteners and "white" starches.

I'd love to tell you what our menu will be for this week but I'm learned that life is crazy. Even when I make out a menu, post it on our refridgerator and shop for those specific meals, things are going to come up. I do want to share with you what we had for dinner last night, though. As soon as I saw it on Stephanie's blog [she's adorable - she loves Jesus, Bakerella and the Titans...and she lives in Nashville!] I thought this dinner was so so yummy! Cody, on the other hand, did not. He did say it had nice presentation though. ha ha I modified this recipe a little bit and cut it down to 2 servings.

Herbed Yogurt Chicken with Mango Couscous

For chicken:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon garlic garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

For Cous Cous:
1 package couscous with pine nuts, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup cilantro sprigs, chopped
1 large ripe mango, peeled & cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1tsp red pepper flakes

1. Purée marinade ingredients in a food processor.
2. Place chicken in a bowl. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
3. Prepare grill (I used my George Foreman). Place chicken on grill. Cover and grill until chicken is cooked through.
4. Cook couscous according to package directions. Once cooked, fluff with fork and add chopped mango, cilantro, seasonings and stir until mixed together.
5. Serve chicken over a bed of mixed greens.