january highlights.

January. I was happy that January had a hand-full of warm, sunny days which allowed me to read in the park, run without my fingertips freezing, and sit outside for dinner. It was a laid back, fun first month of the new year!

This month I...

• Got talked into going to the Josh Abbott band concert after church one Saturday night. Really glad Jenny ended up convincing me it was worth it to stay up late -- I had a blast!
• Booked a trip to Italy this summer!!!! Yes, my sister, Katelyn & I are actually going. Cannot wait.
• Ordered my first pair of Warby Parker's. Extremely pleased with their product!
• Had dinner with that beautiful gem above! Celebrated Hannah's birthday over some hummus, pita bread & Yia Yia's chicken at one of my fave Greek restaurants.
• Cooked spaghetti squash spaghetti (see recipe below) for Stephen for dinner one night. He was fascinated that the squash actually looked like spaghetti noodles. I was fascinated the first time too! He insisted upon adding the hat, remote control, and wine bottle to the photo. 

Dallas really feels like home now. Happy heart.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti:     serves 5 to 6

• Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, at least 3 lbs
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce
olive oil for cooking
salt, pepper and Tony's to taste

• Directions:

1. Bake spaghetti squash on 350 for 45 minutes (this softens the squash so you can cut it in half).

2. While squash is baking, cover pan with olive oil and brown meat with onion.

3. Take squash out of oven, cut in half, remove seeds. Place back in pan face down, add water in pan to avoid it being too dry and cook for 30 more minutes (or to your satisfaction).

4. Add sauce to meat and stir on low.

5. Remove squash from oven, scrape the "spaghetti" out and add it to meat/sauce mixture. Salt, pepper and Tony's to taste.

6. Enjoy!

intentions.

I suppose it's better late than never to share what my intentions are for 2014.

I'm not one to make a "New Year's Resolution." If I want to make a change in my life, I should make the change right then... even if it's July! But there are a few things I want to focus more on this year...

2013 was a big year for me. The key word there was me. I got a new job and bought a house and moved to a new city. It was a lot of change and it caused me to be more self-centered. Not only was there change, but Jesus had a great deal of healing to do on my heart. Now that I'm settled and more adjusted to all the newness, I want 2014 to look a little different.

This year I want to write more letters to people in my life. With technology at my fingertips, I've lost touch with pen and paper. I want to get that touch back! Here's to more snail mail.

This year I want to serve others in new ways. Whether that be helping a friend move or washing their car. I don't know exactly what this will look like, but I want to be attentive and available to help and to serve.

This year I want to cook more. I feel like anytime, in the past 5 years, I've ever thought about what I wish I did more it is cooking. I never end up taking the time to cook and still I continue to complain that I can't (or I'm not good at it). Now it is time for me to learn (or get better).

This year I want to spend more time in the present than in the future. AKA I don't want to plan. Am I contradicting myself by planning not to plan? Maybe a little. Seriously though. I'm so bad about planning too far in the future. I want to live right now not tomorrow or six months from today. Now.

P.S. My lucky number is 7. 2+0+1+4 = 7. Just saying.

a jolly holiday.

Christmas break. Every teachers favorite part of the year... minus summer break of course.

I got to go home to Louisiana and it was much needed. Home is the only place where I can completely relax because I have absolutely no responsibilities. Oh! No words can describe the feeling of not having a single responsibility.

Luckily, my sister was able to take a few days off of work and come home too. We did Christmas with my brother, sister-in-law and nephews the Sunday before Christmas. Momma cooked a big, yummy dinner and we exchanged gifts. My nephew, Slade, named my sisters new beta fish Superman.  He loves his superheros! I'm pretty sure both of my nephews love my pet turtle Raphael more than I love him. They are just too cute. I was thankful for the time we had with them!

Hanging with Skyler.

Hanging with Raphael. 

My family and I went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents church. It's a family tradition. After the Christmas Eve service, when I was little, we would make hot chocolate, turn out all the lights except for the lights on the tree and drink our hot chocolate underneath the tree. The past few years we haven't done that. I'm thinking I'm going to make it happen next year.  On Christmas day my mawmaw and pawpaw Maurice drove up from Lake Charles. We ate hamburgers. Haha I know most people don't eat hamburgers on Christmas day, but we changed it up a bit.

Other than getting together with family, seeing old friends and exchanging gifts, my time at home was pretty chill. My friend, Abbey surprised me with the first two books of the "Mark of the Lion" series and I read both of them in a week and a half. I couldn't put them down.  I had forgotten that I could sit and read for hours at a time. I also forgot how quiet my hometown is. I went for a few long runs. By long, I mean 7 to 8 miles. I had maybe 10 cars, at the most, that passed me the entire time. In Dallas, I wouldn't even be able to count all the cars that pass me during a long run. Each year I notice that I am more thankful for the little things. And I feel like the little things get smaller each year!

Katelyn brought her puppy Skyler home with her. That dog is a little angel just like my nephews. My parents and I ate up all the time we had with her.

Beyond thankful for the holidays. Time for families to gather, break bread and share.

Skyler entertainment. 

I ended up going home 3 days sooner than I had originally planned. I hadn't realized how long my to-do list was and I didn't want to be rushed before heading back to work.

I got home Monday night and then Stephen had the idea to go to south LA to our friend's camp for  a New Years party on Tuesday morning. Bring on an adventure! It was definitely a lot of time spent in the car, but it was totally worth it. Stephen and I listened to the same CD at least four times. It was a good CD. :)

Friends since 5th grade.  

Chelsea Clay. Love her.          

It's not a party without a bonfire.

                                                   
Yes, the old man pictured above is lightening his cigar with one of the 500 degree burning logs from the fire. Not kiddin' you. He was quite a character. He also caught his jacket on fire from sitting with his back towards the fire for too long.

We had s'mores, beautiful fireworks, and yummy champagne. It was such a fun time! I am also thankful for childhood friends. We can sit and share stories from over ten years ago. Not everyone can say that about their friends. More blessings from a small town.

Happy New Year!