I Think I'm Obsessed...

...with

1. Peanut Butter

2. Caffeine Free Diet Dr. Pepper

3. Avocados

and 4. Honey Nut Cheerios

I know, you might think someone with such cravings obsessions could be pregnant, but trust me, I'm NOT!!! I just really like these foods. It's a good thing, because they're all good for you (in moderation, of course -- which I can honestly say I don't always practice).

In other news, Brad and I helped host a couples shower for his Band buddy, Kyle and fiancee, Michelle. Here we are:

Also, in MAJOR news (I mean, not quite FOX News worthy, but in my small circle of friends and family), I cooked this tonight:

And yes, that IS ground meat, thank you very much. And yes, I actually ate it.

Happy Father's Day!

I learned something today. I learned that 5:00 PM on Father's Day Sunday is the best time to go to the gym and the grocery store. I mean, nobody looking at you with that "can you please make this your last set of reps so I can use that machine" look instead of just asking if they can cut in. Or, my goodness, use the machine 5 feet away that works the EXACT some muscle group. Those people aren't there when it's Father's Day. Nor are the ones that must be feeding ten kids because they have not one, but TWO grocery carts full of crap wholesome foods. I guess they technically could be feeding ten kids, because that's just how some people roll. But obviously, the point of this post isn't about overcrowded gyms and buggies at Kroger, it's about how instead of being at the gym, walking on the treadmill and talking to my dad on the phone (simultaneously, mind you) and then enjoying almost-empty aisles, I'd much rather be spending some quality time with good ol' Dad.

Because, let's face it, anybody that can get away with wearing this:

Taught me how to do this:

Has loved me since I looked like this:

And whose example helped me choose him:

That led to this:

...is number one in my book!

Dad, I've always been a Daddy's girl who has been lucky enough to have a mom that became one of my best friends. There are things only dads can instill in a daughter and you have gone above and beyond your call of duty. From rocking me to sleep, to late-night back scratches; from bribing me to chop my hair off, to telling me I was beautiful on the inside and out; from teaching to to hit a baseball, to showing up at every dance recital and performance; from teaching me to ride a bike, to walking me down the aisle, God has blessed me with someone who has taught me more than one person ever should and I will forever be grateful. Love you tons!

And because of someone as selfless, loving, hard-working, family-focused as this man:

I can rest assured that Brad will be an awesome daddy to our children one day. (Don't get any ideas anytime soon!) Thank you, Martin, for instilling in Brad the God-fearing, God-honoring, family-centered values that he has.

We love you both so very much and wish we could be with y'all today to tell you in person how much you mean to us!

If I Won the Lottery...

...I'd have to start buying tickets.

*note* And for this post, let's just say said lottery was worth $300 million. *end note*

After spending 3 hours (+/- 20 minutes) cleaning my small apartment (small in comparison to a full-size home), I decided that if I ever won the lottery or struck it rich I would:

1. Hire someone to clean for me. Even if it was just the bathrooms, kitchen and floors (okay, so that's basically everything, but really, I can do my own laundry, thank you very much), it would make my life so much more relaxing.

2. Actually, I would tithe first to the church, but since I started with the cleaning thing, I figured I'd roll with the punches.

3. Invest at least half of it into our crappy not-so-rewarding stock market.

4. Pay off the rest of our debt. If you remember my New Year's resolution goals post, this is something Brad and I are trying to accomplish within the first two years of marriage. And if I could take a short moment to brag; we've done a darn good job thus far.

5. Feel much better knowing that we wouldn't have to take out more loans for the remainder of Brad's education and the master's degree I will one day pursue. I won't go into detail about the stress this has recently brought to my life, because I might start hyperventilating and there's no one here to rescue help me.

6. Donate to some really cool charity (I'd have to do some research first).

7. Who am I kidding? I'd go out that day and buy myself that loaded Tahoe I've always needed wanted.

8. Oh yeah, we'd most definitely own a house in College Station with a big, BIG yard and some type of garage/shop for Brad. :)

What would YOU do if you won the lottery?

BR Reflection

Well, after two [nearly] full days of recovery, I'm sitting down to reflect on Beach Retreat '09. And when I say recovery, I actually mean this: woke up at 8AM on Saturday with no help from an alarm, worked out, showered my husband's best friend's wife with baby gifts, went shopping for this weekend's couples shower, had a date night with my husband, woke up and went to Sunday school and church, ate lunch and then took the most amazingly glorious 2.5 hour nap I have EVER taken. That, my friends, is recovery.

I believe the total number of people at BR this year came in at a whopping 1,727. I am not sure, however, if that includes counselors, behind the scenes folks, band members and, ahem, the all-star nurses or just kids. Either way, that's an INCREDIBLE number of people to engulf the beaches and town of Gulf Shores. Just to clue you in on what goes on at BR, this is a typical daily schedule:

8:00 - Nurses wake up and "open" up shop
9:00 - Silent Sounds (quiet time) for kids on beach
9:45 - Breakfast in Condos
10:30 - Classes for Kids in various condos
12:00 - Lunch in Condos
1:00 - Free time starts
1:30 - Pool/Beach "opens"
4:00 - Free time ends
6:00 - Silent Sounds on Beach
7:00 - Dinner at the Tent
8:00 - Worship Service
10:00 - Late Night Activity

SBC has five campuses across Houston and its suburbs. We have five condos that span probably 2-3 miles, split up by campus. So during the day, we're technically ony responsible for the 350 kids and counselors from the Woodway campus. Then, all 1700+ people eat together under the giant tent in a field and worship together in the convention center. What a sight to see! There really is nothing like looking out of our 3rd story condo onto the beach to see kids scattered, Bibles opened and heads bowed, reflecting on the greatness and magnificent creation of our God. We don't have a final count of decisions made during the week yet, but I know there were at least 300 baptisms. WOW! God spoke to those kids, and to myself as well, and reassured me that there is hope for this nation of ours that seems so incredibly troubled.

Some of the highlights of the trip (fun and not-so-fun):

• Highschooler's Quote: So are you, like, legit nurses or just moms with medicine?
• Getting hit in the head by a high-speed dodgeball while wrapping an ankle with ice that was injured during said dodgeball game
• Another HS's quote to a counselor who is also starting his residency at Hermann tomorrow: Dude, you're gonna be rich. You could buy a Wii and a Playstation and an XBox 360.
• The 9-hour conversation with Leah on the way to Alabama.
• The flat tire on our luggage care. Much funnier after said 9-hour drive.
• Going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach.
• Our near-death experience on I-10 when some jerk-face came zooming from an entrance ramp all the way to the left lane where we were peacefully driving along. He was apparently having too much fun getting from 0 to 90 in 4.5 than looking at the road to actually SEE me in the lane. Thanks to my mad skills on not over-correcting, we narrowly escaped the tragedy that would have been in the median.

Leah and I had a great time meeting new folks, visiting with those we met last year, getting to know some of the leaders in our church and just having a week-long girls date. Next year, we've pretty much talked the boys into driving down Thursday night and spending a little extra vacation time to really enjoy the beach and quaintness of the town.

17 Hours in 3 Days

That's how much time I've spent riding in the car. And not just any car. My husband's diesel Jetta. The one that actually sounds like a diesel, but not in the big huge truck kind of way. Brad doesn't always love that car. In fact he actually hates strongly detests that car at times. But when we drove from Houston all the way to Mobile without having to get gas and calculated 40.7 mpg, I had much LOVE for that car.

Leah and I planned this car trip well. We brought snacks, drinks, even a book on tape mp3 to listen to. But when you get two girl friends in one car for 9 hours who spend the majority of their time talking to patients that don't respond and husbands that don't always either, there is MUCH to be talked about. So we forgot the book and had a good old-fashioned 9-hour long conversation. And my throat hurts just thinking about it.

We're here in Gulf Shores, Alabama for our 2nd year of High School Beach Retreat with Second Baptist Church. When I arrived to check-in this morning, I kind of got the "I'm going to church camp" feel all over again. The one where you jump up and down when you see your best friend and squeal because you're in 9th grade and that's what your supposed to do kind of feeling. But this is no Lakeview Baptist Encampment. This is BEACH RETREAT. A retreat away from work, on the beach, serving high school kids. A working vacation of sorts, but also an opportunity to learn some things about myself and my God.

It's not your typical vacation, but I'm not really your typical kind of person. You might be thinking, "How nice it must be to take off a week from work and go as a "nurse" on a trip where you mainly lie in the sun, read a book, get a tan and fight off jellyfish stings with meat tenderizer." Lest you forget that I'm not that type of girl. I'm the type of girl that also passes out medicine, cares and comforts kids that may not have the best home life, hands out candy with said medicine (chocolate, mind you - no lollipops here), disinfects scrapes with hydrogen peroxide and sunburns, NOT tans. (No worries, Mom, the sunscreen got packed.)

So everytime you think of how jealous you are of me at the beach this week, instead turn your thoughts to the kids that are here and how their lives will be changed on a daily basis!