Pitas and movies

Students had a 3 day weekend this past weekend so Andrew and I got a little extra break.

Friday morning we slept in!  Hallelujah!  I am a chronic snoozer, so I was very thankful for not having an alarm!  We wanted to take advantage of our extra day off so we drove down into St. Paul (think quaint almost Nashville-esque sized city wit Midwestern flair instead of Tennessee country) to Andrew's favorite brunch place, Key's Cafe.  It was fun to sit and talk get some good food and get in the Word.  He's writing a paper on Luke 16 which is about hell for a theology class he's taking.  We tried to study the passage together, which we don't do often, but is sweet.  Then we just drove around St. Paul looking at houses and new neighborhoods (while getting into a tiff) and after working it all on out in the car, headed home.

 (I'm not sure why pictures of hubs eating make me laugh, but these sure do! )

(our view from the perfect booth spot at Key's- yes still lots of snow)

Let me tell you how much a trooper my husband is.  He went to 2 fabric stores with me.  No complaining.  Fully engaged.  Even showed me things he liked.  Ha!  I love him! I kept telling him he would be bored to death, but I loved that he came just to spend time with me.  And he's great because he usually gets into whatever's in front of him.

He had been wanting for a while to take me to this Middle Eastern restaurant called Holy Land so we went there for dinner.  It was delicious food.  Incredible pita chips! Their tahini and cucumber sauces were so good.  I probably wouldn't have gone for them, but they were outstanding.  We got the Holy Land platter so lots of good rice, an incredible salad (that Andrew inhaled!) of chunky cucumbers and tomatoes and lettuce with a tasty Greek dressing, lamb, beef, chicken and "kufta" which we still don't know what that is.  It was all great though.  I really felt like we weren't in the States because there was Arabic writing, only a few people speaking English and white people were the minority.  I was grateful that God reawakened my desire to love other people different than me.  To think of the violence and killing and hatred toward Christians in most of the Middle East and here we were eating among a lot of them in America.  Totally free.  We prayed before we ate and softly prayed for everyone around us.  It was sweet to think of God's power in the walls of a restaurant plastered with pictures of Mecca and Arabic writing (and such good food).

(Andrew at our table- I took this to conspicuously get a snap of some Arabic above his head)

(the Holy Land meal we devoured, note the fresh pita on the right!)

On the way home we stopped by our beloved Redbox and rented "Buried", which Andrew thoroughly enjoyed and I was a little disturbed by.  It's about a guy who wakes up and has been buried in a wooden coffin and is trying to figure out what is going to happen to him.  It's a interesting glimpse into the Iraq War too.  I also made some Toll House cookies per my chocoholic husband's request.  But I was running low on chocolate chips so we subs M&Ms.

Saturday Andrew was at the church all day giving support training to our team of students going to India this summer.  He left early and I was dabbling around the house: cleaning bathrooms, laundry, folding, cleaning out the fridge, etc.  Oh, and I'm doing an intense Precept Bible study at my church on Ephesians so I was able to get a good chunk of that done- I'll be sharing some of the sweet stuff from hat in the future.   After a while I began to go stir crazy so I started thinking of stuff I'd been meaning to get done for MONTHS and wanted to finally do it.  Like bring a load of clothes and home goods to some local consignment stores and organize my jewelry.  FYI Turns Style took almost all my still unused wedding gifts/decor things I didn't want anymore and good old Plato's Closet only gave me $7.70 for a thermal shirt of Andrew's that shrunk and a pair of black pants- struck out there!  Anyway, I got some new lamp shades to lighten up our dark living room at night (which starts around 5pm here) and some hooks.

I'd been looking for a non-power-tools way to make a necklace holder since all of mine are a big jumbled mess.  I already made this earring holder while in college but added the hooks for necklaces.

(Ha just noticed the huge ball the first one is in...typical!)

When Andrew got home, I'd been planning to make a quiche since I'd over bought eggs last week and had a bag of fresh spinach I still hadn't used.  So I found this Paula Deen recipe for Spinach and Bacon quiche which I lightened up with half and half instead of heavy cream and turkey bacon instead of the real thing. It was very good.  Hubs gave it two thumbs up.  I think next time I'd use a deep dish pie plate instead.  

After the quiche we decided to rent another movie and really live it up :).  This time I got to pick and settled on "Letters to Juliet" which was sweet but incredibly predictable.  It was fun but full of sap and unrealistic romance.  It was OK, but really was just glad we had a change of pace from our previous rentals!

Looking forward to next fall..

Here's an exciting articles about Georgia's hopefully much improved team. I must say however that each year Georgia is in the top 10 of recruiting classes but somehow can't pull it together to win even a nearly 9 or 10 win season in a few years.  Or merely a winning season overall...

An excerpt from an article on USAToday.com- go here to read it from their site:

"Update: All-USA defensive lineman Ray Drew announced Friday he would attend Georgia. Drew cited academics and coach Mark Richt in making his decision to pick the Bulldogs from finalists LSU, Auburn, Miami (Fla.) and LSU.



Georgia's season started slow and finished with a loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl. But the team's 6-7 record hasn't stopped the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail.


Still on the board are two of the nation's top recruits that also happen to be Georgia natives - running back Isaiah Crowell and defensive lineman Ray Drew. And the Bulldogs are in good shape to land both.


Crowell, who is ranked as the No. 4 running back in the nation and No. 23 overall prospect by Rivals.com, would be a huge help to the Bulldogs running game.


Drew of Thomas County Central (Thomasville, Ga.) is due to announce his decision on Friday. The No. 9 overall prospect by Rivals.com visited Clemson this past weekend, but his finalists are LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Miami (Fla.)


Should Crowell and Drew come to Athens, that could push Georgia into the top five among this year's classes. That would be welcome news for Richt, who will enter next season with a lot of pressure on his shoulders."

More about Ray Drew here. 

The 2011 season schedule can be found here.  Unfortunately we will still have on of the hardest schedules with National Champions Auburn,

National Champion hopefuls Boise State, the near SEC Champions South Carolina, and the always competitive-but-inconsistent Florida, Vandy, GT, Ole Miss, and UT.

Boise State will be a doozy but hopefully Georgia can stop their BCS whining.   Maybe we can actually make it down for a game this year!  

Recipe Round Up

Here are some of the recipes I'd cobbled together over the past few weeks:

• Garlic Snap Peas: We had these tonight along with some cornbread (which makes Andrew get giddy!) and a lemon-garlic pork loin.  It was a quick dinner that I only had a few minutes to prep.  
• Broccoli and Cheese Soup from CookingLight: So good! I've never cooked with Velveeta and I must admit I was VERY skeptical.  It looked so gross when I opened the package!  However, the soup was super tasty.  I read some review afterwards and next time I might just sub the "processed cheese product" for some real cheese, because Velveeta doesn't sit right with me.  It violates a core principle of food snobbery.  In the end, it was yummy.  We had our couples small group over so I also added some chicken for extra heartiness and carrots too. 
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Two of the sophomore girls I'm privileged to hang out with spent the night with me a few weeks ago when Andrew was out of town.  They are such a blast!  I made me for a little miss living with girls!! Anyway as part of our excitement to hang out, laugh, and watch Grey's Anatomy, we made these delicious cookies.  One of my favorites!!
• Corn, Wild Rice and Sausage Soup: As an ode to my state of residence, I wanted to make something warm and with wild rice.  For those not up on famous Minnesota things, the state is known for their wild rice soup: hearty, warm and natural.  So this is a spin on the standard here.  It was really good!  The only snag was the rice kept soaking up all the liquid overnight, so leftovers needed a a good amount of added milk/cream. 
• Easy Creamed Spinach: Very good!  I love buying spinach for it's versatility as a salad, cooked as a side or even being stuffed.  I was getting tired of sauteed spinach so we tried this an hubs raved about it!  He loved it!
• Pan Roasted Pork Chops: Super tasty and flavorful!! Basically pork chops with salt, pepper and Emeril's Essence as a spice rub.  Simple and very tasty!
• Chile Rellenos Casserole: I actually got this from one of the Cooking Light library books I checked out, but tracked the recipe down online.  It was ok, not bad.  Andrew liked it more than me.  Still, a decent Mexican style casserole that was pretty easy to make. He liked that there was an eggy layer. 
• Black Eyed Pea and Rice Salad: Pretty good! I would go a little light on the dressing, but a good change up of sides for us. We had this along with the above mentioned pork chops.  It was easy to make too.  

Personal update:
Students are finishing up their January "J-Term" month long semester and then next week will start the official Spring Term.  It's been sweet to see God work in the handful of girls that I get to lead.  It's blown me away how He has their hearts in His hands.  Andrew and I are doing well.  We're both spending a lot of time with students and helping some new staff adjust to being on the campus.  It's been really fun for us!  I've loved getting to hang out with my friends on staff a lot in the past month and seeing the girls I have such a heart for.  These girls are my long lost little sisters!

We're gearing up for the next 2 months to be crazy!  Andrew will be out of town every other week for a different conference or speaking engagement or retreat.  We're both excited for all these opportunities that range from ministry planning to support raising training to college missions. All things that make hubs' heart beat!  I'm excited for him, but I will miss him a ton!  In late Feb we'll also head to Delhi again to help the next team leaders get accustomed to the country before they take their team there.  We'll also have a few retreats together throughout the semester, but we are SO thankful we aren't planning for an India Team again this year.  Whew!  It was a joy, but it was a lot.

As for my heart, God has been super gracious.  The good news that I am a sinner, far worse than I can imagine, but accepted by a God who is/was willing to do anything to get me has been really sweet!  I've been more aware of my sin (ya know they usual: snapping at hubs, getting frustrated quickly, being legalistic about ministry, self-reliance, pride/superiority, not really loving people well) but also of the grace that it's ok to fail, because my identity is in Christ.  I am His daughter and I'm not measured by my productivity, how well I lead college girls or how good (or bad!) of a wife I am.  I will fail.  But, I am covered by Christ's righteousness and will never stop needing Him!

looking back on 2010 (better late than never!)

Well, it's been 2011 for nearly a month now, but I thought it was still worth it to go through and take a peak at the last year.  2010 was an awesome year for us: the first whole year we'd been married (all 365 days!), first anniversary, Andrew hit the big 3-0 while I kept him young :), traveled to India, invested in girls at a school up here in Minnesota, and ...

January 2010: Heart of Winter

We rung in the New Year in Milwaukee at our annual student conference.  Then it was back to campus to hit the ground running with retreats, students and meetings. 

(Our first India team retreat!)

February 2010: Valentines Day 

Andrew surprised me during our first married Valentine's Day...  

...and took me out to dinner at a huge conservatory so despite the subzero temperatures, I could walk around sans jacket while feeling like we were outside surrounded by ponds and gorgeous flowers.

March 2010: Breaking into Spring

We took a trip with staff friends to Bayfield, WI for a long weekend to get away!

(please note: ice on the back half of the water...Lake Superior was just starting to melt!)

]

(Lisa, Annie, and Matt who we stayed with)

April 2010: Anniversary Trip

We scrambled to get out of the cold to celebrate our first wedding anniverary! A found a great last minute deal to Orlando where we hit the beach, ate out, headed over to Wycliffe Bible Translation's Unreached People Group Museum, and celebrated Eater at R.C. Sproul's church

(Before getting dinner one night)

(A shot of our resort and the pools we clung to!)

 (a picture hubs took at the museum)

(Our anniversary fell on Easter weekend so we found and visited Sproul's church)

May 2010: Summer Break to Atlanta

We got to spend time with family, go to a few weddings, catch up with old friends and even get some much needed landscaping and house things done at our rental property.

(sweet college friends at our second wedding of the trip)

(Hubby knocking out some landscaping projects)

June 2010: Lots of Traveling (S. Dakota, Atlanta, S. Carolina,  India)

We hit the road for South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and tour the Midwest, headed back to Atlanta to be with family and mourn the loss of Andrew's Grandaddy, celebrated Andrew's milestone 30th birthday, took students down to South Carolina for training and then loaded up for a 6 week Indian adventure.

(Hiking Hearney Peak in South Dakota

 (Andrew at the top)

(Sweet picture of all the Knights)

(A on an early birthday hiking trip out near Stillwater, MN)

( Students throwing A in the pool for his birthday down in SC)

(seeing my parents in SC before leaving for India)

July 2010: India!

We stayed in Delhi, but visited the Taj Mahal...

...and hung out with Indian college students there.

August 2010: Resting Back in the States

We arrived back from India and soon after Mom and Dad came up for a fun visit while the weather was ideal...

...and they were also in town for Andrew's duathalon.

September 2010: Back to School

We got back in the swing of life in Minnesota and hopped back into getting to know and investing in students. 

And football season was in full swing!

October 2010: Fall!

We took our fall break a few hours north to see the colors change and enjoy a break 

...and we carved our first family pumpkin together...monogramed and with a football

And Andrew's parent came up for a wonderful visit.

(A and his Dad at the Apple Orchard)

(And the ladies: Mimi, Andrew's Mom and me)

November 2010: Thanksgiving + Winter!

We visited Atlanta for restful and fun Thanksgiving 

(Here's the immediate Knight family together after hiking around Lake Rabun)

...but not before we had a major blizzard in MN that brought us nearly 2 feet of snow!

 December 2010: Christmas Travel

We finished up time on campus, traveled to Atlanta and then New Orleans...

(at New Orleans School of Cooking with the whole Link side)

...and Baton Rouge to visit our amazing families for Christmas

(Here's A and I at my Grandma's in Baton Rouge on Christmas Eve)

...before flying home in enough time to take a bunch of college kids to Milwaukee for a conference about how to grow in knowing God and ringing in the new year with them.

(Don't they look so fun? They are!)

Everyday winter

Sludge. After 2 months of snowfall, here's what parking lots everywhere in Minnesota are covered in. The wetter, the worse.

And another shot of slightly less sludgy sludge.

Yuck. Not my favorite part of winter by far.

On another note, here's my latest attempt at getting organized- at least with all the scarves I've hoarded since moving up to the tundra. I was getting a birthday card for a friend when I saw these two genius scarf hangers for $2.50 each in the bargain area at Target.
I took lots of this (all our winter gear from scares to gloves to snow pants, etc)
...and it became this:

Bad pictures, but excited for the organization. Hubby was proud though!

And here are all the library books I've ben looking through lately for some new recipes.