A really good sandwich.

Felicity taught me this one. It's an Apple and Cheddar Sandwich recipe that we modified a little bit from a cookbook she has. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like this or not, but it was great! It's quick like a grilled cheese but fresh and just a little bit different than a cold cut sandwich.

Ingredients 
4 pieces of wheat bread
1 apple (I've used Gala twice now, but Granny Smith will be great too!)
a few slices of block cheddar cheese (I used Cabot Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese)
spreadable butter
1 tsp ranch dressing
(yields 2 sandwiches)

Instructions
1. Heat griddle up to medium high.
2. Slice apples into 1/4" thick pieces or so. About half an apple per sandwich. If you're just cooking for yourself, slice up the rest of it to snack on while your sandwich cooks.
3. Slice block cheese up. 5-7 thin slices should do.
4. Butter one side of bread. Put a thin layer of ranch dressing on other side. Stack apple slices and cheese slices back and forth. Stack together.
5. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Enjoy! I think I'm hooked!

When you brush your teeth.

Other than practicing "proper tooth brushing techniques", (I included a legit link for you, you're welcome) what do you do when you're brushing your teeth? Do you ever wonder to yourself how you could make that time more effective in your daily life? Maybe that's just me, but here we go.

Here's an idea for you.

Got an extra photo frame lying around? I used one to put my sermon notes in for the week so that I can scaffold the great things I get to hear every Sunday at The Waters Church into my daily life. If you're anything like me, your bulletin either gets stuffed in your Bible's front cover or in your purse amidst old receipts and your grocery list. Not the most effective way to have those notes read again.

Now that I think about it, this kind of works the same way as the magnets on the back of the Warm Fuzzies. But for grown ups. :) You can even do this for your children in their own bathroom, and have accountability on asking them about what they remembered from the sermon.

So what I do is type up my notes. Now, this isn't necessary, but since our personal bathroom is also our public one, I felt the need to deprive our guests from seeing the chicken scratch I write during the sermon and instead change it into a typed up 5x7 framed note. But personal handwriting always catches someone's attention more, so that may be some thing to consider.

It's good stuff. And the best thing is, even if you don't update it every week, it's something you can read over and over again, especially if it's something you strongly about rereading many times. Maybe it's just a few verses that really stuck to your heart during the sermon. Maybe it's a few quotes that were said that really put the lesson into perspective personally. For our home, it's a combination of both.

Framing your notes not only brings some personality into a room that most people in your home visit many times a day, but again, it's an easy way to highlight something positive and helpful into your daily routines.

This is what I do when I brush my teeth. Currently, I have the sermon notes from last week's sermon about forgiveness in there right now. I hope this transforms your mornings and evenings (or anytime you walk into this room of your home) and helps you to focus and "set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:2).

Defining "Marital Bliss"

After going to one of my college roommate's weddings this weekend, and all the time spent in the car, I really started trying to define marital bliss in my mind. Today's Day 100 of being the bride of my wonderful husband, and especially after going to this wedding and preparing for all of the summer weddings, it's really got me thinking what marital bliss means to me.

Researching this term did not turn out exactly as I planned.

Turns out most people don't believe in this kind of thing. Or, you may be married and think, "Ah, the early days. She's so young and doesn't get it yet." Another example: My husband was asked how married life was treating him by some older men. His response was that it was so much less stressful than engagement and dating. This warranted a look of disbelief in the gentlemen, to which my husband eased the awkwardness with a joke fulfilling the response they thought he'd originally respond with. But why is this so hard to believe?

Even though we've only been married since February, I feel like I've been David's wife for most of my life. However, when I stop to think about where we will be 10, 20, and 30 years from now, it seems crazy to think about! So, for one of the first times in my life, the infinite makes more sense than the finite. Forever seems much more reasonable in my thought process than a specific date in the future.

I think that's kind of cool.

Marital bliss, to me, is this realization. I know that it's still so very early in my marriage, and I know there will be many difficult times, but that daily joy of knowing that I am loved, as Christ loves the church, is my marital bliss. Sharing my life with someone like this is marital bliss.

If you aren't believing anything I'm saying right now, or have been jaded by your life experiences, our pastor has been teaching a marriage series that has been great foundation to our early marriage, but I know has been changing so many couples' lives. In addition to this, if you are single, there are so many biblical truths that have been presented as well that make this sermon series applicable to all. I love our church, The Waters, in Katy, TX so much. I encourage you to visit the website of our church, and if your in the area, come check it out. No pressure, but that's what we did and my view of church will never be the same because of it.

Love is fun. Marriage is awesome, but has a healthy challenge to it. I know I'm just in the beginning stages, but I believe that marital bliss is a daily, attainable goal that takes work but is totally worth it. Life may not be a clip from a movie that melts your heart, but I know I feel the delight of Elizabeth when she realizes she loves Mr. Darcy and they marry, living blissfully happy together. (Sorry guys, you knew this was coming).

I live this life. I am the blissfully happy Mrs. Rich. And I wouldn't change a thing.

The Best Quesadillas. Ever.

If you want something different for dinner, try these.

My parents and brother came over for dinner last night, and these were a hit! However, it's really hard to entertain and prep these, so I encourage you to make these as a no-guest food. It'll avoid the awkward idle time.

These are amazing. I am one of those people who look up recipes to try, and these have made it into my cookbook. They are vegetarian-friendly, which is not super-exciting to those of you who are fans of meat, but you won't miss it! They are hearty and super filling and taste like you are eating them fresh from the restaurant. So be the chef of your own kitchen and try these out!

Ingredients
8 tortillas (or more depending on size...do not get the burrito grande size, they are too big!)
1 package of shredded authentic Mexican cheese (the "white" cheese, it makes all the difference!)
GOAT CHEESE! (It's the secret ingredient! If you're afraid, don't be! It's tangy and perfect!)
1 can corn
1 can black beans
2-4 Tablespoons picante sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 onion
1/2 bunch cilantro (if you like it)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil, canola oil, etc.
1/2 stick of butter or so
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large saute pan. Dice onions and cook in oil for about 2 minutes or when soft.
2. Drain and rinse black beans and corn. Add to pan.
3. Add brown sugar, picante sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Get another large pan or a griddler heated. Add a smidge of butter (don't skip this step or they won't be crispy!) to the pan and throw in a tortilla. When mixture is heated, add to tortilla. Add goat cheese and plenty of shredded cheese and sandwich with another buttered tortilla.
5. Flip if in a pan. (This can be tricky, which is where the convenience of the griddler comes in and you can skip this step.)
6. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy! Ole!

I was always bad at journaling.

So here's the thing. I'm newly-married, fresh out of college, and like 4.5% of other college graduates like me, I'm not employed but looking. That, boys and girls, is called frictional unemployment. Not the worst situation, even when the news makes it seem like many more are unemployed because of lack of education, but maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.

Let's be optimistic here. If the unemployment rate is 4.5%, then the employment rate for college graduates are 95.5%. (I may have done terrible in business calc, but I can subtract!) That sounds much better! Oh but wait, what is my profession? Educator. Hmm. Well, that doesn't work out the way it's supposed to be. But, I am hopeful and waiting for that call, now that school is over, and working on my portfolio. And even if I do get a call, which my husband asserts me that I will, I still don't have a job for the summer (which can be considered as seasonal unemployment, but that's unimportant).

So what to do with myself? It was much easier to not have anything to do in the summer when I wasn't married, but even then, during college I only had one summer where I didn't have a job. Here's the thing: I can't guarantee any company that I can work weekends. We have weddings, guests coming from out of town, and even a few little weekend trips that I can't sacrifice with a job waiting tables. Plus, that throws off all the people that are willing to work for that amount. Most of the jobs I've had I've been blessed to make much more than minimum wage, so not only would I have to sacrifice weekends and weddings, but it would be hard to justify with smaller than average paychecks for me. So what do I do?

I'll blog, I say!

Or at least try. I was always bad at journaling as a child. I would write for a few days in a row and then write nothing for a month. Then, by the time you catch your inanimate, imaginative bedazzled Lisa Frank (or whatever your poison) notebook up, you're tired of it and throw it back under your bed or in the bottom drawer of your nightstand where you're sure no one will ever discover it, especially your snot-nosed brother.  (To his defense, my brother has great hygiene).

Now we put those thoughts online. Oh goodness, I'm having a xanga memory. Is this really the same thing? I hope not...

So my purpose of this blog, other than the entertainment purpose of giving me something to do this summer, is to talk food, talk education, talk movies, talk faith, talk love (and not in that order, silly.)

Regardless of all the craziness of the summer that I'll be having, it's life! And I married Rich! My last name should drive me to look at this life with optimism and excitement! Life is new, life is exciting, and it's mine. Keeping the spirit full and content is half the work.

Here we go...to infinity and beyond!
Or "falling with style" at least until August.