Remembering the Green River

All the way back in 2012, I checked off a bucket list item by celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Chicago.  Today, my only celebration will be trying to get down a green smoothie containing spinach, so I thought it would be fun to look back and remember seeing the green river.

In case you don't know, every March, they dye the river green in Chicago to celebrate St. Patrick.  But more than that, the whole city turns out for a massive party.  Pubs open at 8:00 am.  There are parades.  Irish music everywhere.  Everyone wears green.  Green beer flows freely.  If you don't have this on your bucket list, get it added right now.  You won't regret it!

Looking back at these pictures make me smile.  ND Friend and Tiny Dancer had not yet started dating.  Today, they are less than 2 months away from welcoming in their first baby.  I had no idea The Boy from Texas even existed, and now, we're hitched and knocked up.  A lot can change in three years.  But I think if you're doing life right, at whatever stage, you can look back on great memories and look forward with anticipation for even better ones.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

What's Been Going On 'Round These Parts

I know, I've been blogger MIA.  Here's what we've been up to.

- Despising daylight savings time.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love it in the afternoons.  When I get home from work and have plenty of sunlight left to walk the dogs, I think it's a great idea.  But when that alarm clock goes off and I have to be out of the house whilst it's still pitch black outside?  I hate it.  I cried when the alarm went off Tuesday morning.  It happened.

- Little Cowboy turned 8.  I know, you all want another session of Ask Little Cowboy.  I'll get on it.  Last weekend was his 8th birthday party.  It was Ninja Turtle themed (apparently these are still cool?)  He got a ton of great presents, including  go kart, ducks, lots of guns, money, and more.

- I'm still sick.  In case you were wondering,  yes, I still spend a great deal of time hurling in the bathroom, courtesy of one The Baby from Texas.  Please do not offer any more advice, I've tried it all.  At this point, we're just trying to survive until it ends.  Which it will, eventually.  It may be when the baby is born, but there will be an end.

- Budgeting.  Now that we're finally moved into our own house and settled, we've got our budget put together, which makes me feel good about life.  You know that I'm incredibly organized and a huge saver, so I'd be lying if I didn't admit knowing the budget is in use makes me sleep better at night.

- Watching Gold Rush.  Do you guys watch this show?  We love it.  There are very few shows we both like.....I'm more a fictional drama watcher (Chicago Fire, ER, The Night Shift) while The Boy from Texas prefers scientific/factual shows (How It's Made, Myth Busters, History Chanel).  There are, however, a few we both enjoy.  Gold Rush is #1 on that list.  (Others are North Woods Law, Incredible Dr. Pol, Fixer Upper, and Top Gear).

- Gearing up for the sheep sale.  The first lamb sale will be here one month from today.  We've been home a couple of times to try and help get things ready.  I cannot enter the lambing barn....apparently being around lambing can cause miscarriages in pregnant women.....so The Boy from Texas has helped my dad in there while I feed and what not outside.  I don't love being left out of where the real action is, but you do what you gotta do, I suppose.

Funny Conversations with the Boy from Texas (Part V)

There have been some good ones lately.  He's clever, that husband of mine.

TBFT:  *Inspecting my plate after dinner.*  You left three pieces of chicken.

Me:  I know, I don't want them.  I ate all the rice and vegetables.

TBFT:  Eat the chicken right now.

Me:  I don't want it.

TBFT:  You are not getting up from that chair until you eat the chicken.

Me:  I'm not eating the chicken.

TBFT:  I'm going to sit on your stomach and make you eat it, it's for the baby!

Me:  Think about that last statement.

TBFT:  Okay, I won't sit on your stomach, but eat the chicken.

---

TBFT: What is this stuff?

Me: Pudding and cool whip for a pie.

TBFT: Why is it sugar free and low fat? You need to gain weight, quit buying healthy food.

Me: Not sure, but I don't think pudding and cool whip are ever "healthy food."

---

*Ongoing discussion about wills and Godparents and guardians and all that adult stuff.*

Me:  Do you just want to worry about it later?

TBFT:  No.  This is the kind of stuff you have to talk about so that you're not a sucky parent.  We're talking about it!

---

*Watching America's Next Top Model.*

TBFT:  YOU watch this crap?

Me:  I know it's bad, but I just got sucked in.

*10 minutes later, he starts shaking his head.

TBFT:  I need this baby to be a boy. Please, a boy.

---

Me:  What will we do if our kid wants to play soccer?

TBFT:  Well, I guess that would be okay.  Not my favorite sport, but okay.

Me:  What will we do if our kid wants to rodeo?

TBFT:  Ugh.  We'd really have to talk about that idea.

Me:  What will we do if our kid wants to be in the band?

TBFT:  We'll bust his butt and tell him to be serious.

---

TBFT:  I don't like this shirt, it doesn't fit right.

Me:  Yea, your shoulders are too big, that's the problem.

TBFT:  *Giggles* You're the one that's going to be a problem for in a few months.

---

*Eating at this hibachi restaurant we like.

Me:  This is so good, the baby must like hibachi.

TBFT:  Good.

Me:  Maybe we're having an Asian baby.

TBFT:  We sure as heck better not be!

Thin Places

You might remember that as part of my 15 in '15 list, I recently read Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist.  In that book, there is one chapter called Thin Places that put forth an idea that I really loved.  Here's an explanation from the book.

"Thin places: places where the boundary between the divine world and the human world becomes almost nonexistent, and the two, divine and human, can for a moment, dance together uninterrupted. Some are physical places, and some aren't places at all, but states of being or circumstances or season."

This got me thinking about the thin places in my life.  Those times, circumstances, places where God felt so close.  And there were many.

The adoration chapel at St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station where I spent many nights praying and hoping and seeking peace about what the future would hold.  The morning I woke up and decided to completely change my planned law school and despite it being too late to really make that change, it worked out perfectly.  The Grotto at Notre Dame.  Riding horses across the open pasture. Seeing the worn kneeler used by St. John Paul II in Poland.  Praying with The Boy from Texas during our wedding ceremony.  Services at the Washington National Cathedral, built as a place of worship for all.

It is a beautiful thing, the thin places.  And as wonderful as those places and experiences are, we know that when even the thin line is gone and there is nothing separating the human from the divine, it will be even better.

Praise God for the thin places.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #12: Rosemary Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

This is a recipe that I made a few times while single and I have to admit, I wasn't really quite sure what The Boy from Texas would think about it.  There is no beef, no potatoes it's healthy, and it came from Diabetic Living.  Well, happy to report, he approves!  I, however, failed to take a picture.   Maybe next time.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1) We're eating what?  (2)  This is actually pretty good.  I'd eat it again.

Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/3 C corn kernals (fresh or frozen)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced  {You know I don't use onions.}
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 chicken thighs  {I don't care for dark meat, I use two chicken breasts.}
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon flour
1 batch cornmeal dumplings (see below)

Combine first 9 ingredients (through chicken broth on the list) in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

After cooking, remove chicken to cutting board and chop, return to crock pot.

In small bowl, mix milk and flour, stir into the crock pot mixture.

Drop cornmeal dumping dough into mounds on top of crock pot mixture.  Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Cornmeal dumpings
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon banking powder
Dash of salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon canola oil

In medium bowl, mix flower, cornmeal, baking powder, salt.  In small bowl, mix egg white, milk, and oil.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stir until moistened.

15 in '15 List Update: January and February

So the surprising addition of The Baby from Texas to the midst sort of slowed down my 15 in '15 accomplishments these first two months.  Other moms assure me that I'll stop throwing up and being so exhausted I'm asleep at 9:00 every night soon.....let's hope they are right because this list needs some work!

All total, I've made at least some form of progress on 8/15 items.  I'm on track (of ahead of schedule) for 5/15 items.  Here's the low down.


1.  Visit 2 new states.  (1/2 complete).

In January, I headed to Atlanta to speak at the Southern Dairy Conference.  Georgia has officially been checked off the list!


2.  Print Instagram photos in Chatbooks.  (No progress).

I have no reason for not having this done, especially after College Roomie gave me gift certificates to pay for this for Christmas.

3.  Read 12 more books.  (1/12 complete).

I just finished Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist.  She's got the best writing style, she's hilarious, and I wish I knew her in real life so we could be friends!  Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

"It is not hard to decide what you want your life to be about.  What's hard is figuring out what you are willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about."

"When I pray, I ask for God's help, that I will be able to see something I wasn't able to see before, or at least something I wasn't able to see before, or at least trust Him to do the seeing."

4.  Run another half marathon.  (No progress....likely will not happen!)

So yea, having a baby in September means that half marathon I had planned for the end of July is kinda out of the question.  And the odds of me being ready for a half marathon by the end of the year after having a baby are probably not that good.  We'll play this one by ear (there is always Tulsa in November....) but it may get modified to be running a post-baby 5K.

5.  Take a fun trip for The Boy From Texas' 30th.  (No progress.)

So the plan for the big trip to either Hawaii or Ireland has been baby proofed as well.  We're kinda needing to keep vacation days for the big arrival, so we're looking at a few ideas of long weekend trips that might work better for us at this point in time.

6.  Plant flowers in our yard and the fun pots we got.  (No progress).

Well, the pots are officially placed on the front porch waiting for action, but because it keeps snowing, there is nothing planted yet.

7.  Cook 52 more recipes in the Newlywed in the Kitchen series.  (5/52 completed).

Things on this front were really rolling, and then morning sickness hit.  At this point, we're just excited if I can handle the smell of food and choke it down, so gourmet meals have been put on hold.  Hopefully I can get back on track though!

8.  Finish Uncle Black Belt's book.  (Some progress made).

We've been editing on this and hope to have the first four chapters done within the next month!

9.  Complete one Bible.com study a month.  (2/12 completed.)

I really enjoy the Bible.com app.  I'm not very techy, so I resisted for a long time, but several of my friends use it, so I decided to try!  It makes it so easy to do my daily reading, particularly when I'm on the road.

In January, I did the "New Day, New  You" study by Joyce Meyer.  It was a great way to kick off the New Year!

In February, I completed the "Breathe Spiritual Passing Into Your Marriage" study by Gary Thomas.  It was a great study to help you keep the focus on the bigger picture and purpose of your marriage.

10.  Complete 5 Pinterest projects (other than recipes).  (No progress.)

I'm hoping the baby pins I'm finding will motivate me to really get rolling on this.

11.  Knock off three more bucket list checkmarks.  (1/3 completed).

- Meet a blog friend in person.  I actually did this twice, first when I met Dairy Carrie in Atlanta (and learned we were both secretly pregnant and due on the same day!) and second when I met up with my long-time blog friend, Katy, in Washington DC.  Katy requested an official Figuring Out the Plot name, and I deem her Dixie in DC.  If you are not a reader of her blog, go here now!

Me and Dixie in DC posing in the subway station.

12.  Order books/prints/canvases of our wedding photos.  (No progress.)

Another that I just need to sit down and get cracking on!  We've pretty much got the new house decorated, except that we have one---ONE---wedding picture in the entire joint and it's a 5/7 in a frame on my nightstand.  Fail.

13.  Listen to the New Testament.  (Minor progress made).

I was doing so good on this one, listening as I drove to work, but then I somehow stopped doing that and kinda forgot.  Back on it now!  I've currently made it through the first ten chapters of Matthew.  Onward.

14.  Pray Novenas for 12 friends and send them notes to tell them about it.  (2/12 completed).

This is easily my favorite list item.

In January I prayed a Novena to St. Anne (the grandmother of Jesus who was barron for over twenty years herself) for a friend suffering through infertility.

In February, in honor of Valentine's Day, I prayed a Novena to St. Joseph (patron saint of worthy husbands) in honor of my single friends.


15.  Organize my pictures.  (No progress.)

When it's all cold and snowy and I'm stuck inside, this would be a great time to tackle this project.  What have I done instead?  Napped and watched junk tv.  Awesome.

Happy FFA Week!

Happy FFA Week!  All week on Facebook, I've really enjoyed seeing posts from other former FFA members talking about what the organization meant to them.  From old pictures with ag teachers to blog posts about how FFA helps prepare members for nursing careers, to collages of favorite memories....it's really been fun to see!

I was struck not only by the number of my friends who were involved in FFA (not surprising given where I went to school, my major in college, my current job), but the variety of things we are doing now.  Some are home on the farm raising food and fiber to feed and clothe America.  Some are in big cities,  one even has  her own law office on Wall Street.  Some are in small towns teaching elementary school, working in industry, protecting the community.  And some have chosen to carry on the FFA tradition by becoming ag teachers themselves.

These stories prove that FFA didn't just prepare us for our futures in agriculture, but for our futures, period.

To celebrate that, I wanted to share some of my favorite FFA moments.

Stock shows with the family.

County fairs with the family.

State Fair with friends.

This was us in college, but I met some of my best friends in FFA.

Winning State FFA Livestock Judging

FFA Camp

Winning State Star Farmer

Winning a class at Roswell with Walter.

Sorting ewes for breeding.

Winning Grand and Reserve at the County Fair

Winning High Individual in Reasons & Reserve National Champions at National FFA Dairy

National FFA Livestock, complete with food poisoning experience.

Calving season

Little Brother winning the pig show at the County Fair.

Reserve National Champions in Poultry

"Crunch time" at the barn.

Little Brother winning the sheep show.

Dad's lucky shirt.

State Fair sheep show day.

Winning County Fair 3rd time in a row

Roswell pig show with Mr. Franklin

Winning Champion Cross NMSF

Winning a class with a lamb we raised.

Feeding time at State Fair.

 And lastly, I will share what I previously shared on Facebook.  If The Baby from Texas turns out to be a boy, his middle name will honor my own FFA advisor, Mr. Franklin, who was so much more than a teacher to so many of us.

Happy FFA Week to all!

What Real Friendship Looks Like

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." ~ John 15:12-13

Over the years, I've had several friends struggle with infertility.  One, in particular, in whose journey I have been more involved than the rest.  We've talked for hours about ovulating and I've gone with her to buy pregnancy tests and I've cried for her when the result we prayed for did not come.  I've prayed Novenas and read books and just keep believing that her baby will come.

When I found out we were expecting The Baby from Texas, I was both excited and scared to share the news with her.  I know that it must feel like a knife to the heart to see other people getting what she so badly wants.  And although I've never felt that pain with regards to a baby, I sure felt it for years with regards to a shiny ring.

The one night on the phone, I decided it was time to break the news.  Timidly, I told her.

And her reaction was what real friendship looks like.

She screamed.  Then she screamed again.  Then she demanded that she be invited to the baby shower and made clear she will be coming to visit and help with the baby arrives.  What are we thinking on names?  Will we find out the gender?  Will we tell her when we find out?  This is just the best news.

I just cried while trying to keep up with her excitement and barrage of questions.

I believe that part of our purpose on this earth is to show love to others as God loves us.  My friend hit it out of the park on this one.  Selfless love.  Unconditional support.  Honest joy.

I could not be more grateful for her friendship, her Christlike example, and her love.  And I know she will make a great mom when her time comes.

But for now, she better believe I'm taking her up on the offer to help change diapers.

The Epic Baby Announcement Fail

I'm a pretty good writer.  I am good at managing money.  I'm very organized.  But I'm not super cutesy or creative.  So when we found out about The Baby from Texas, I was so excited when I also came up with a super cute way to tell my parents they were going to be grandparents.

So....my dad had to have a medical test done in January.  I came up with the following card idea.

Outside of the card said:

 Inside of the card said:

"We already passed ours" and an arrow pointing to the picture below

I mean, seriously.  I felt like it was Pinterest worthy.

I went to Hobby Lobby to buy materials.  Had the picture printed.  We drove 2 hours home.  Made The Boy from Texas video them getting the announcement because in my head they were probably going to scream and jump around and my dad might have said something really funny that could have made us  You Tube sensations.

Reality, however, was far from that.

We were all in the living room watching tv.  The Boy from Texas got the phone ready.  I went and got the card, handed it to my dad, and prepared for the awesomeness that was sure to follow.

Dad:  "I don't get it.  Test? 

Me:  Read the card, look at the picture.

Dad: What's this a picture of, is it a sword?

Mom:  Here, let me see it, geez.

Dad:  No, I can see, it just doesn't make sense.  This is stupid.

Me:  Oh good grief, give it to mom.

Mom:  Well I can't see this without my glasses, it's dark in here.  Where are my glasses.

Me:  Are you guys kidding me?

The Boy from Texas:  I think I can stop recording.

Mom:  Wait, are you pregnant?

Me:  Yes!

Dad:  Well why did you tell us with a sword?


For. The.  Love.

{In my dad's defense, apparently he had never seen a pregnancy test before.  I guess they didn't exist in the stone ages when he was having kids.}

I Will Remember

Last Sunday, we went to church.  We walked right in the door.  We sat in the pews.  Prayed.  Sang songs out of the hard-backed red hymnal.   "Oh come though long expected Jesus...."  We professed our faith. "I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth...."  We stood as the Gospel was read.  We freely gave our tithes and offerings.  We listened to a homily given from a pulpit.  We shared aloud of own prayer requests.  We were blessed with the sign of the cross and told to go in peace.

At the same time, around the world, twenty one men were beheaded for their beliefs.  They were not able to sing hymns in church that morning.  They had no opportunity to place money in the offering plate.  Instead, because of their beliefs--the same beliefs that I hold so dear--they lost their lives.

While we repeated the Affirmation of Faith, they lived it.  And lost their lives because of it.

Today, as we celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I want to remember these men.  I want to remember all of those around the world who are persecuted, beaten, and martyred for their faith.  As I prepare to celebrate Easter, I know that remembering their story will change my heart.

When I don't feel like reading my Bible, I will remember.  When I feel too tired to pray, I will remember.  When going to church seems like a drag, I will remember.  When I want to curse, I will remember.  When I take for granted my freedom to worship, I will remember.

Pope Francis put it best.   "The blood of Christians is a testimony that cries out to be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ."