9/11/2001

I am overwhelmed with how thankful I am today to be an American. I felt led to just write a little out to the people I love most.

I was a sophomore in high school on 9/11/01, and I saw the 2nd plane hit during my Calculus class. My teacher's daughter was in NYC that day, and she couldn't gain her composure, not knowing where her daughter was. She couldn't teach us, she couldn't keep her eyes off the tv, and she called her daughter's cell phone constantly during our hour-long class. We were young and self-involved, but we knew this was a big deal.

Do you know that more people vote for American Idol in 1 week than they do for primary elections? Collectively over 1 season, the votes total more than just 1 Presidential election. I know my generation has messed up. We care about materialistic things (dubbed the "iPod generation"), and we are still very self-involved. However, we are a passionate generation. I am one of those passionate people!

I am a very proud Texan. I thank my Mom and Dad for teaching me along the way that there are really only 2 states in the US - Texas and the rest. I never want to live anywhere else. When I started at Texas Tech, I became an extremely proud Red Raider, and I still am. Being a Texan and a Red Raider are two parts of my identity that I value very much.

However, today I think about how proud I am to also be an American. I am proud of what our country stands for. I am proud that I have voted in EVERY election, primary and otherwise since I turned 18. I am proud that I personally know 2 men who are great, brave, and courageous who have stood up for 300 million people they do not know and have entered the military to protect and serve us. I tear up every time I hear a song, speech, or see a tv special about men and women in the military. I support the troops with all that I have. It is the very least I can do for them.

I will say I disagree with Washington on many levels, but I love being an American. I still feel overwhelmed when I hear a Presidential speech. It would be an honor to just be in the room with a current or past President (on either side of the ticket) because I feel the same passions for our country that they do. As I wrap up, I want to just say: Remember the people who lost loved ones that day. I cannot imagine what it must feel like. Honor the police force, fire department, military men and women, and our nation's leaders.

That is absolutely the least we can do for them.

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children." - President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

A Labor of Love

I absolutely love my husband. I can also absolutely admit that I am not always as loving as I should be.

Today, I came to the following conclusion: doing laundry is my labor of love. Mark can be kind of "freakish" about his clothing. His normal outfit, although he would never say the word "outfit", consists of a polo shirt, jeans, a pair of white ankle socks and his Roper dress shoes.

You wouldn't think that laundry could really add up that much since he is so simple, but it does... quickly. And Marky does things opposite of the way I would do them. For example, he does not hang his polos, he folds them... not a big deal, but it was an adaptation I had to make when doing laundry for two.

When I did laundry today, it had accumulated for about a week. I try to do it every other day, but I was sick and very busy last week, so here we were. Today, I folded about 100 pairs of ankle socks (2 pair were mine), 75 polos, 14 pairs of jeans (2 pair were mine), roughly 300 pair of underwear... etc. My dear husband has definitely added a lot of housework to my list, but I honestly do NOT mind.

I love my husband so much. I love him through words and actions, but I now notice that I love him through laundry. I think of him every single time I fold a polo, pair of sock, underwear, or jeans. I love taking care of things around the house for my husband, because I know when he gets home to a clean home with clean clothes, he will appreciate that so much.

Moral of my story: I do laundry because I love my husband. :)

How Cooking Makes Me Feel...

I obviously have more time on my hands these days... I have been applying for jobs, doing chores, finishing up moving into our new apartment, and I have been obsessed with finding new things to cook for Mark and myself.

Today at lunch I had a summer salad with homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing. (See end of the post for recipe)

When I test new recipes, I feel anxious that I am not going to enjoy what I am making but I have hope that I will LOVE it. Today's salad was something I would definitely order out, but I have never made at home. Oh my goodness, it was so great! Next time, I am going to adjust it a little (see my notes at the end of the post).

The outcome? I had a rush of emotions after I made the dish --- not really. I did love the salad, but more importantly, I gained an ounce of confidence that I can actually make good food myself. I don't feel comfortable eating out for lunch every day right now, so I need to adjust and eat well at home. Plus, it gives me something to do during the day!

Strawberry Summer Salad (Original Recipe found in "Meals for 2, 4, 6, 8" by Rachael Ray)

-Hearts of Romaine (I used a handful out of a bagged salad)

-3 strawberries (sliced)

-Dressing:

:: 1 tablespoon Strawberry Jam

:: Half tablespoon balsamic vinegar

:: 1.5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A couple of things I may change next time:

-Baby Spinach salad instead of Hearts of Romaine

-Add some candied pecans or another crunchy nut

-Add feta cheese crumbles

Viva La Saturday

That's the Mills family, circa 1990. Wow, how good do we look?

This past weekend, we celebrated my grandparents' 40th wedding anniversary. We had it at the Roosevelt Ballroom in Waco. It was beautiful, and my mom and cousins did an amazing job setting everything up.

I have been on the hunt lately for some boots!! I don't mean cowboy boots, I have way too many pairs of those, but I want some black flat boots. Like these:

I have had some serious issues finding some since my feet are, well, HUGE. I don't like to buy anything online, because you have to WAIT for it to come in the mail, but I may just have to forgo the instant satisfaction and buy them online.

I had lunch with my old roomie Lauren today! I tried shopping for boots at the galleria, but no luck. We did a little bit of shopping (we each found something at SEPHORA!!), and we had lunch at Corner Bakery. Um, YUMMMMY Chicken Salad there, lots of fruit in it. It was amazing spending time with her after so long. I love love love that girl, and I am so happy we're much closer now. I seriously needed some girl time with her.

Now, Mark and I are planning to go look at a couple houses, and possibly go to the rodeo tonight. So many options available to us... Viva la Saturday!

Long Time, No Blog

Wow, I cannot believe I am so bad at blogging. I have seriously skipped out on the updates lately.

Since I last updated, so much has happened, but the most exciting is celebrating our FIRST anniversary together. We had a great time. On Friday night, we just stayed in Fort Worth, went out to dinner, and chilled at home. (I have a horrible memory, so I cannot remember where we ate... oops).

On Saturday morning, I got up and went shopping for a couple things while Mark slept in. Then we had lunch at home and headed to Dallas. We went to the Galleria to do a little shopping, then checked into the Magnolia Hotel downtown.

We had dinner at Coal Vines, our favorite pizza place in Uptown then went to the Mavs game. The Mavs game was no fun (since they lost and they played at the same time as the Cowboys), but it was fun going out.

We went back to the hotel and watched the remainder of the Cowboys game. The Magnolia has complimentary Cookies & Milk every night, which is such a fun amenity. On Sunday, we headed home and ate our year old cake from our wedding day.

Our anniversary was special, and I had a lot of fun. It was very "us".

We are DINKs!

I was told yesterday that Mark and I are now known as "DINKs" - stands for Double Income No Kids!

THAT'S RIGHT - Marky got a job! He works for Einstein's Eyes in Richardson, TX! He started last week, and he really likes it! Unfortinately for right now, he is having to commute, but that is a small sacrifice to make until we can move to the mid-cities.

We are loving life right now. For Thanksgiving, we are going to be in Waco. I am ready for a long weekend! I love Thanksgiving! Then we are going to see Baylor and TTU play at the Cowboy's Stadium, which I have been looking forward to for about a year!

Exciting stuff... I leave you with this yummy recipe for Tuxedo Pie!

Distractions are my enemy!!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Isn't that a stupid question for most of us?

I have had so much to do lately at work. It is hard for me to feel accomplished when I leave work with lots of piles left on my desk. I leave with a headache and can't help but think about work while I am at home.

Thankfully, it hasn't been that bad lately, but since I will be out on Friday, I feel a little extra pressure to cover everything while I am out.

This weekend is Caitlin's wedding! I am so excited to be a bridesmaid. I haven't been a bridesmaid since Brandi's wedding a year and a half ago. We are going to Waco after I get off tomorrow so I can be available all day Friday to help her and to go to the Bridesmaid luncheon on Friday. Its also my first Catholic wedding to be in, although not fully traditional I don't think. It should be so fun!!

I always enjoy going home to Waco. I love spending time with my mom and dad -- and my puppy Riley!! I love Rie-Rie, and he loves me!! It is not practical for Mark and I to keep him in a small apartment when my parents have so much land for him to run around on. He is such a big dog, and my parents have definitely gotten attached to him. He is still my baby though.

Mark and I are currently watching a special on Air Force One on the History Channel. It is an incredible documentary on such an important part of our history. I enjoy being an American!!