Texas

We've been in Texas for about 2 1/2 weeks now. Chris is in Houston for a month-long clinical rotation, and my aunt and uncle have been kind enough to let us stay with them. (It's not easy keeping two O'Briens for a month.) I'm just so grateful that I could come with him on this rotation. Hopefully, I'll be able to go along on the next rotation in summer 2013. His last three will be during the school year, so let's all start praying now that he gets rotations in Nashville. It's been pretty cool learning about life in a different part of the country. We started our adventure on June 30 with a stop in Memphis. Shaving 3 hours off the trip didn't seem huge, but it helped a lot.

We arrived in Houston on July 1, and our first stop was a Texas BBQ joint. No plates. Just bbq on wax paper. Be messy!

It was hot the first week. We celebrated the fourth of July with a neighborhood cookout.

Then there was an adorable bicycle parade.

We watched fireworks from The Woodlands, TX. Of course they played Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." and of course Chris shouted "Go Vols!" when he mentioned the hills of Tennessee. It was, however, quickly overshadowed by cheers when Mr. Greenwood sang about Houston. Funny--I've never noticed the song mentioned Houston, probably because it was always drowned out by "Go Vols."

Our second week was wet. As in, there was major flooding in Houston. But you already know that since you've all been so worried about us over here. It rained for six days straight. And I sat inside for six days straight. Have I mentioned we only have 1 car out here, and Chris drives it to work? But it's cool. I stole the car today.

Last weekend, Chris and I took a mini-vacation to San Antonio. It was gorgeous and NOT rainy! First, we paid homage to Davy Crockett at the Alamo. Again, go vols. Then we walked to Market Square and enjoyed some really authentic Mexican food. Chris and I were thankful many times that we both know some Spanish. Most of the signs and menus were in Spanish. San Antonio has a beautiful riverwalk that runs throughout the city. They were offering boat tours, but the boats were in the sun and the sidewalk was in the shade, so Chris and I walked the whole riverwalk. Go, go, gadget healthy O'Briens! We experienced a Texas steak house that night, but we were too entranced by the CrossFit games on TV to remember much of the restaurant. Those CrossFit women are nuts!

We have about 2 1/2 weeks left here. I'm leaving a little earlier to get my classroom back in order for the new school year. My only goal for the rest of our time in Texas is to make it to the beach. I've never lived this close to a beach, and I refuse to go home without touching the ocean.

Chris and I are working on a blog of things we've noticed about Texas. It should be good. It includes Harry E. Butts.

Overcautious and It's a Problem

I love pizza rolls. I maaaaay have mentioned this before. When Chris' family came to visit in March, they bought me a jumbo box of 100. I have been savoring them since then. I haven't had them at all this summer. I know, I'm shocked too. The party line has been, "I'm trying to eat healthier." The real story is that I thought I only had enough left for one more serving, and I was saving them for the perfect day when only pizza rolls would do.

"Why don't you just buy more?"
"They're pizza rolls...not the last cookie your dying grandmother made."
"Who does that?"

Thanks for your responses. I welcome your questions and narrow my eyes with each one.

This is how I live my life, and not just with pizza rolls. And it's a problem.

Well today was the day. I'm feeling lonely. I've had salad for the lunch the past 8 days in a row. I'm stressed about moving to Texas, getting my classroom ready for the fall, and too many other things to name. It's pizza rolls day!

I opened the bag to bask in the glory of my last batch of pizza rolls. And guess what. There were way too many for me to eat at one time. Definitely enough for two more meals.

This is the problem.

Far too many times in my life, I have lived in a state of desperation about a situation. Not quite panic, just simmering desperation. Why? Because I never fully assessed the situation. I always feel like Chris and I are spending too much money. I feel a little sick every time we pay rent, check out at the grocery store, or stop to get gas. I feel like we're never going to get ahead for future things like a home or a family. So while half my pizza rolls were cooking and other half were still being their frozen little selves, I actually checked our bank account. (Shocker.) Turns out--we are spending too much money, but when I added up how much we were spending on rent, groceries, gas, utilities, and a buffer for "other," we're only spending HALF what I make each month. HALF?!

I think what I'm really learning today is that God is providing, all the time. I assume He's not, so I quietly sulk about my lack of money, friends, and pizza rolls. I don't even bother to assess the actual situation because I'm so convinced He's not providing. I want to hoard everything I do have, because I don't trust Him to provide more when they're gone. But, somehow, I've still got pizza rolls in the freezer. 6 friends have texted me out of the blue in the past 24 hours. And Chris and I don't need to feel guilty about spoiling ourselves with Taco Bell last night. God continued to provide even when I just KNEW He wasn't. I feel like God's been giving me presents for the past year, and I just put them in the corner without ever opening them. But instead of getting angry for my unappreciativeness, He continued to give me more.

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let go of anything and trust there'll be more. I hoard things. I never eat the last bite of anything. I save pizza rolls for "the perfect pizza roll day." But I am learning that God keeps his promises. If there is ever something I need, God will make sure it is there. Even if it's extra pizza rolls for the next time I think, "Today would be a great day for pizza rolls."

2 Years of Marriage

Chris and I have been married for 2 years. Holy canoli. It feels like yesterday that I walked down the aisle to that big smile, but it also feels like we've been married forever. We've been through so many changes in the past 2 years--a major move, graduate school, adopting a puppy (seriously...life changing). 

The theme our first year of marriage was selflessness--learning to put your spouse before yourself. Our second year of marriage has been dominated by sacrifice. (Anyone starting to see why Jesus uses marriage as the ultimate picture of his love for us?) Sacrifice, a little deeper than selflessness, is letting go of something dear to you for someone else. It's more than agreeing to go to that Greek restaurant with your husband. It's leaving your home, friends, and church family to move to a new city so your husband can pursue his dream. It's choosing a school close to your wife's family rather than your own family. It's sacrificing time together. But this kind of sacrifice doesn't result in bitterness. It results in a deeper love and appreciation. Jesus sure loves us a lot.

We celebrated our anniversary a little early in our favorite place--Knoxville! 

Exploring the UT Gardens, where we took our engagement pictures.

We met up with our BFF's downtown.

We spent the next day in Gatlinburg and stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast.

We enjoyed a little bluegrass music.

We went to Sweet Fanny Adams theater and Chris was chosen to participate!

We had an interesting experience at a little restaurant. We couldn't order half the menu because the chef was out, the waiter insulted us and then spilled water in my purse, and our bed and breakfast owners were there. Good thing we were so stuffed from the Apple Barn that we weren't seriously looking for a good meal.

This is from our actual anniversary at the Cheesecake Factory (I smell a tradition coming on...). We ate a collective 6,238 calories and loved every bite. This is also just after my first trip to the Container Store, so I'm pretty much high right now.
 

I love being married to Chris, and I can't wait for all our future anniversaries! Next year will be our last anniversary owned by PT school, and the year after that, he'll be a free man! We're growing up...

A Day in the Life of Instagram

I'm on a mission to make this apartment smell delicious. Today: apple crisp heated in a wittle bitty skillet.

I'm also on a mission to be healthy this summer. I'm too lazy to drive to gyms, so I do On Demand workouts at home, then eat spinach.

Before you feel too preached at, you should know I added popcorn chicken and ranch dressing after this picture was taken. But my heart was in the right place.

Then I attempted to fold clothes. Itchy just wanted to lay on them. Silly wiener dog.

Finally, I experimented with Pinterest recipes. This is a sausage and cheese calzone before the heat.

And after...

We've gone over this. I make fancy things now.

Pretend like it didn't spit up on the aluminum foil.

If you want to make it yourself, HERE IS THE RECIPE.

Always Waiting...

You know those people who tell you not to wish your life away waiting for the "next step"? They're talking to me. Sorry you had to sit through all those boring talks. I'm even sorrier that you'll have to sit through more because I'm not listening.

I have a pretty serious problem with not enjoying life where I am.

It started in high school. I couldn't wait to graduate and start college at UT. I spent most of my senior year filling out scholarship applications and obsessing over what I needed for college. I spent about three years of college actually enjoying life. I didn't want it to end. 

But then I started student teaching, which is one giant time of "preparing for the future." Not good for a girl who always wants the future to be here NOW. At UT, we spend our whole senior year doing a combination of practicums and student teaching in the typical sense. After that, we do a full year of interning. So I had two years of "You're not a real teacher yet, but you're going to work like you are and get paid nothing." I had never wanted the future to arrive so badly....until I met Chris.

 I wanted to marry him from day one. He proposed at the beginning of my first year of "real" teaching. After all that waiting for my first "real" classroom, I spent that whole year planning for my wedding. I couldn't wait for the school year to end so I could marry my sweetheart.

It finally did, and we got married. Then we (Chris really) started applying to physical therapy schools. We waited and waited to find out where we would be going. We waited almost a full year. We were so excited about moving to Nashville for physical therapy school.

We got to Nashville. It's been hard. When I was in grad school, it was hard, but it might be harder as a grad school wife. It's a lot of being alone and wishing you could help take some of the burden off your husband. Finals weeks are stressful on all of us. But all of it is worth it because Chris is SO GOOD as what he does and is going to have an amazing career once he graduates. We just have to wait.

And there it is again. More waiting. 

I'm currently waiting for 2014. Chris will graduate. We can get out of apartments. We can go on a vacation. Our real life can begin. Of course that's not true--our real life has begun. But that's what it feels like. 

This is not an inspirational blog post if that's what you thought it was going to be. Just thought I would share a glimpse into my life. I feel better when I remember that God is on my side, and His timing is perfect. Every single thing in my life has always happened in perfect timing, so I don't know why I bite my fingernails waiting for whatever I think I'm waiting for. 

I might be asking for you to not let me wish this time away. Remind me that I'm young, don't have children yet, and should at least try to stay up past 9:30. Or you can punch me when I start whining about the future. Totally your call.

When you don't have anything nice to say...

...don't blog.

Hopefully, life will be cheerier soon. Only 3 more days of school (with kids). Knoxville/Gatlinburg for our anniversary. Couple of lake weekends this summer. Woot.

I have very much enjoyed having my husband home so much right now. I'm a little bit dreading him starting summer school again. We enjoyed a wonderful, rare day of doing NOTHING today. We slept in, went grocery shopping together, watched a whole season of Scrubs, watched storms roll in from the porch.... Maybe not exactly how we would have spent our free day in college, but I love this old, married life we have built.

The longer you are married, the more alike you become...

Face Juggler App

Chris just found Friends on TV and voluntarily turned it. This is why I love him.

Crazy April

This month has been nutso.

Chris has been especially stressed out. He's had ~10 projects due in the past two weeks. As soon as he finished those, he began finals. He has five in the next three days. I know he (and I) would really appreciate some prayers.

April got ridiculously crazy at school for me too. I somehow ended up staying at school until 4:30 or 5:00 every night. (They stop paying me at 2:45...) We just finished TCAP week, and next week is SAT-10 for my second graders. I would also appreciate some prayer for sanity.

My beautiful friend Leslie got married last Saturday!

I was so honored to be a part of her day! She fed me Mountain Dew and watermelon on my wedding day, so I brought her sugar free Red Bull on hers. I think we're even now.

It was so fun to make new friends with Leslie's other bridesmaids.

Since Leslie obviously picks great friends (ahem), any friend of Leslie's is a friend of mine!


Chris and I have finally organized our summer schedule. Looks like we have 2 weekends in Nashville total from now until August. That sounds alright to me! Lots of visits with family, a few special trips for just Chris and I, and a month-long clinical in Houston, Texas! It's busy times, but we are so excited. Pray for safe travels everywhere we go and that we are able to spend some quality time together while we are bumming off our sweet friends and family.

"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." -Psalm 94:19