15 posts tagged “austin”

The winning Austin downtown restaurant that was graced with me and my Daddy's presence yesterday was:
Sweetish Hill Bakery!  All I knew was that he would be at the Convention Center, but we didn't have a specific meeting point in mind, so I was a bit nervous about how smoothly it would work out.  You know me and my worry wart complex; I'm sure you can imagine the crazy thoughts that swirled around in my head on my way into downtown.  But praise God, it worked out perfectly!  He was standing outside right as I turned the corner, and we even had a prime parking spot at the Bakery...I was even worried about downtown parking 'cause I forgot change for the meters.  Seriously, praise God!  And seriously, Meg, get a grip!  Daddy was in the mood for the sandwich/soup/salad option, so I took him to the Bakery.  He parted with my list of other restaurant options in his hand for places to eat dinner with his colleagues.  We had a fabulous time together!  I love him so!

We're still waiting for the birth of our nephew, whose due date is TODAY!  Come on, already!  Don't you know that you have people who want to meet you?!  I went to the cutest little baby store the other day with my friend, Leah.  It took me about 5 minutes before I realized that I now actually have a reason to buy baby stuff:  I'm gonna have a little nephew to spoil!  It was a bit of an odd realization, as well as an expensive one, but mostly very fun!

This past weekend, Matt and I discovered a new shopping center on HWY 71 called The Hill Country Galleria.  With beautiful grounds and an amphitheater, we enjoyed eating our sandwiches from Which Wich outside and spent some time reading (and I also took a nap in the big comfy chair) at Barnes & Noble.  While perusing, I came across a small treasure by Henri J.M. Nouwen called With Open Hands.  As you all know from this post, the concept of keeping my hands open in surrender to God has been something I'm learning these days.  So the title of the book grabbed my attention right away and I had to buy it!  It's a quick read that I started about an hour ago and I'm half way through it. Boy, if you want a book that lays out my life right now, this is it!  It describes so well what I'm thinking and feeling these days, things I'm wrestling with and learning about prayer, silence, acceptance, and resting in the Lord.  It's incredible to read this book and feel like I'm saying, "Yep, that's it, that's it!", all the way through it!  I'll have to reread it to make sure I soak it all up, but I'm a bit stunned right now that it so poignantly and accurately depicts this season of my life.  Just to give you a glimpse, this is a quote from Nouwen:

Prayer is a way of life which allows you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your hands to God's promises and find hope for yourself, your neighbor, and your world.

And there's so much more I could spout out, but I want to finish the book and not be rushed with sharing my thoughts.  This book, however, is a perfect segway (is that how you spell that??) to a post that I want to write over the next day or two where I will share with my Internet peep friends some things that I've been learning over the past three and a half months (I can't believe it's been that long already!) since I stopped my job.  So stay tuned.  In the meantime, have a lovely evening and say a little prayer that my nephew comes soon and is healthy!

Well, a good mornin' to you, Internet peeps!  For the third or fourth day in a row, it is an absolutely gorgeous day!  There's not a cloud in the vast Texas sky, the sun is shining brightly, the birds are chirping, and the temperature is just right.  It does my heart glad.  After waking up this morning at 5 a.m. to let Molly outside, I crawled back in bed and already had to pray for God to help me choose to have a good attitude today.  I don't know about you, but some days just feel like they're going to have some bits and pieces of rottenness in 'em.  And I'm learning that much of that depends on my attitude as to how rotten a day it will be.  Things kinda got messed up with our night schedule the next two evenings because of a lack of communication between me and my mister, spring cleaning is taking me much longer than I thought and I'm ready to be done with it, and I want to write the blog I've been mulling over for the past couple of weeks (keep expectations low though)!  So see, I have to watch my attitude as it's already creepin' out all rotten-like!  But the beauty of the day calms my heart and puts a smile on face.  So did this post by Confessions of a Pioneer Woman.  For you dog lovers, you gotta take a peek at it!

And this absolutely gets rid of any mere notion of rottenness:  I have a lunch date with my Daddy today!  He's coming to Austin on business for the day and I'm meeting up with him for lunch.  I want to take him somewhere new downtown to eat, so my friend, Liz, who is a downtown girl, and citysearch.com were most helpful in providing some quality options.  Depending on what he's in the mood for, these are the choices I'm giving him:

*  Sweetish Hill Bakery for light sandwiches, soup, or salad...and of course, something irresistible from the baker!  I have been here once for breakfast, but that was years ago.
*  The Onion:  pizza
*  Hickory Street Bar & Grille:  for burgers and other such American food
*  Iron Works:  for bar-b-que

Anticipating our time together today makes me reflect on the first time I came to Austin when I was ten years old or so.  My Daddy had some business to do in Austin for the day, but he brought me along as well for a little Daddy/Daughter day.  He took me to lunch at The Driskill and we roamed the Capitol where I was much more interested in the squirrels running around the grounds than anything else; I had never seen so many cute, furry squirrels before and I was quite enamored!  It was a special day together and I know this afternoon is going to be, too!  Yes, it's going to be a very good day!

A big "THANK YOU" goes out to my friends, Lindsey and Janna, for deterring me from hitting the frig to eat some chocolate chip cookie dough 'cause they asked me a question on my Q&A post!  In fact, they asked me a combined total of five questions!  I was seriously jumping for joy!  

I first met Lindsey nearly five years ago at a party for a mutual friend, and she and her husband, Chad, were so excited to invite me and Matt to their small group.  First of all, she was a huge example to me of how inclusive and welcoming she was to total strangers, genuinely wanting to include us in their small group.  We accepted their kind offer and have been involved in the same group for almost 5 years, with people who have become some of our closest friends.  A few years ago, Chad and Lindsey moved to El Paso, my home turf, and it gave us one more thing in common.  I still remember the look on Lindsey's face when she told me they were assigned to El Paso for one year for her pharmacy school program; it was not what they were expecting!  It was the same look of bewilderment and shock that I get when someone from Austin finds out they just met someone from El Paso, TX.  "El Paso?  That's in Texas, right?  Wow!", is the usual response with a look on their face that looks like they just met an alien.  I, on the other hand, was thrilled to know they were going to El Paso!  I couldn't wait to help them get situated, meet some of our friends, and introduce them to some of the finest Mexican food restaurants on earth.  They were only there a year before moving to Dallas, but fortunately, they have very fond memories of El Paso.  I have been so blessed to keep in touch with sweet Lindsey, and still learn a lot from her just like I did the first day I met her.

Lindsey's first question:  First, I would guess that like myself, you are the primary (ie: day-to-day) manager of finances in your family. It sounds like you have a very specific budget and are very organized in that area. I would like to know what tools you use to manage things (do you use Quicken, etc), and did it take you many trials and errors to determine your budget in each category?

You're right, Lindsey.  I am the primary, day-to-day manager, of our finances.  Scary!  Thankfully, our pre-marital counselors taught us how to create a budget, and as one of our assignments, we had to track our expenses for a month and then create our very first budget.  We were so busy with wedding planning, we spent over $400 eating out for the two of us in just one month; it was crazy!  Another huge thing that has helped us is that this is an area in our marriage that Matt and I see eye-to-eye on:  we both don't like debt, we both like saving, we both like numbers and our spreadsheets.  However, Matt is rather cheap and a lot more frugal than I am.  In fact, we were talking the other night about our budget and I teased him saying, "You know, sometimes you really are cheap."  He chided back to me with a chuckle, "Meg, I've never spent so much money in my entire life than I have since marrying you."  Touche, darling. So we have to sometimes balance each other out when it comes to day-to-day decisions on what to buy, when to buy it.  But as far as the big picture is concerned, we fortunately have the same end goal in mind.

In developing our budget 5 years ago, we used a form much like this.  After tracking our expenses for a month, we tried to estimate as best we could on budgeted amounts.  We also made the decision that we would only budget from Matt's income; my income would go towards savings, for our home or for Matt's masters program.  I recognize that as a huge blessing as I know not everyone is able to save income like we were.  We keep track of our expenses on a month-by-month basis.  Some months we go over-budget in a category, but are likely under-budget in another category.  So while we keep track of which categories we're over-budget and make sure our cash flow in the bank is positive each month, we really look at the bottom line in each category at the end of the year to see how we did on an annual basis.  The annual budget is the bottom-line marker for us. 

Figuring out our budget was definitely trial and error.  In fact, it was trial and error for the first 2 years of our marriage!  We're at the point now where, while we still have to make strides to fully staying within our budget, we only have to tweak the budget a little bit at the beginning of a new year because we generally have a pretty good idea of what we spend in our categories now.  We always have trouble though staying within budget in the following categories:  groceries, dining out, vacation...and sometimes, my allowance.  <grin>  Last year, my income offset some of those categories we were over-budget in, particularly vacation with all the family weddings, funerals, and extra trips we decided were important for us to take.  But since I'm no longer working, we are even tighter this year, and in many ways, we see this year as the first real test of our budget.  Vacation I tell ya, I gotta be good with that category 'cause I just want to go here, there and yonder everywhere!

In setting up our budget, we use Microsoft Money software.  It's worked well for us, although if we were to do it again, Matt may find that he likes Quicken better.  We also have set up a few Excel spreadsheets that we mostly use at the beginning of the year to compare last year's budget to the current year's to see how we need to tweak the budget, as well as to keep track of tithing and saving amounts.  One of the most formidable tools we've used is  Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class that is offered regularly by our church.  We took the class a couple of years ago and found it very helpful and practical.  We don't follow Ramsey by the book (i.e. we haven't destroyed our credit cards but pay them off in full each month), but we implemented his plan in saving and getting rid of debt (i.e. a college loan and a car payment).  Matt is a huge Ramsey fan and he listens to Ramsey's podcasts regularly.  Even for Christmas one year, Matt wanted to give our siblings the book Financial Peace Revisited as a stocking stuffer.  At least one of the siblings and one sibling-in-law appreciated it.  It may have been too serious, or too geeky, of a gift for the others.  Just as a little plug, we also use ING Direct for our savings account.  It has a much better interest rate (although it's gone down significantly in the past few months) than a normal bank.

We've made our fair share of mistakes as well, like buying a vacation package that we never used that was worth more than you want to know.  So we've regretted some financial decisions, but those mistakes have been useful in teaching us things to be aware of, and have given us a better idea of things we don't want to fall prey to again.

Our budget is always a work in progress, but those are the things that have been helpful tools we've used to set it up and keep track of it.  And we'll have to see how this year goes!  Feel free to ask any questions for clarification or more info.

Lindsey's second question is:  Second, if you could plan your ideal day in Austin, what would it look like?

Hands down, it would have to be something with Matt and Molly, and somehow, it would have to include Mexican food and chocolate.  I would buy a boat (only so I could do this whenever I pleased), and go with Matt, Molly and some friends to Lake Stillhouse, near Belton (hope this still counts as my ideal day in Austin!!), to go boating, swimming, tubing and water skiing for the day.  Actually, we did this a few years ago with our small group (with the exception of buying a boat...it was borrowed), and I think it was one of my most favorite days ever!  First off, we were with good friends.  Secondly, Molly came on the boat with us and LOVED IT!  LOVED IT!  Lake Stillhouse is a much more quiet and peaceful lake compared to the busyness of Lake Travis.  We found a secluded area on the shore where we set up camp.  Molly and I got to swim together, one of my most favorite things to do ever, and it was a gorgeous day!  To top the day off with some Mexican food at Chuy's and a hot fudge sundae or a concrete from Shakes, that is my ideal day in Austin.  Oh, I'd be a happy woman!

Below are a few pictures from one of my perfect days in Austin back in 2005.  Click on a picture to see an enlarged version.

Pop back by tomorrow and I will answer Janna's three questions!  And feel free to continue to leave questions; I'll take them for another few days!  <grin> 

Most people say they feel younger than they really are, with the possible exception of their physical body not feeling like a spring chicken.  So I guess I'm an oddball this year:  today is my birthday, and somehow, I feel older than my new age:  29.  How can that be!?  Maybe it's because Matt turned 30 this year and I feel it should have been my turn this year, too; maybe it's because mentally, I just want to skip what a lot of people feel is the dreaded last year of their 20s and just accept that I'm headed into a new decade of age; maybe it's because most of my close friends in Austin are already in their 30s and it feels weird for me to still be in my 20s; or maybe it's because my mental and emotional state the past year has aged me more than I thought and surely, I shouldn't be in my 20s.  My body, also, has sure shown its "maturity", if you will:  on top of my hurt ankle (by the way, how can I be so out of breath climbing a set of stairs when I haven't been running for just a few weeks!?), I found two grey hairs recently!  Matt went through his list of reasons why I don't need to color my hair (which I started a year ago and not because of grey hair), but after no consideration to his comments, I applied my trusty Garnier reddish/brown tint to my own heart's content.  Some of you are chuckling, thinking to yourselves, "This girl has no idea what aging is.  I'll show you aging!"  But seriously, I'm just 29!?

Oddly, I didn't really feel like celebrating too much today.  Matt tried his darndest to get me to "par-tay", and I'm sure he would say it was like pulling teeth from a whiny 5 year old. I just really didn't feel that up to it.  For one thing, I thought of my friend Becca, who didn't see her 29th birthday.  I also thought of the ways life quite isn't what I expected it to be.  But as I started receiving e-cards, messages on Facebook and Ink Pots, and phone calls, the thanksgiving for my friends and family, and especially my husband, overflowed into joy and celebration of the day.  Also, opening some presents helped, too.  I love presents!  Thank you to those who have made me feel so loved!  It has been a very special day.  Let me share some of the highlights (you can click on a picture to see an enlarged version):

For breakfast, Matt took me to a wonderful, eclectic restaurant called Chez-zee.  He ate enough for 4 people:  A Belgian waffle with pecans, whipped cream and strawberries; eggs with cheddar cheese; and home-fried potatoes!  He devoured every bite!  I was lucky to get one nibble of waffle (slight exaggeration there).  I had, what my sister-in-law, Julie, says is, "an old lady meal":  quiche.  It was yummy, but I will agree with Julie:  it was boring.  I should have gone for the creme brulee French toast!  Even so, it was tasty and a delightful date with my hubby, who has planned each part of this day so well! 

We stopped by one of Austin's best grocery stores, Central Market, to pick out some burger patties for tonight's bar-b-que.  I got one with jalapeños and cheddar cheese!  On our way home, we stopped by Chris and Jill's home and had some good laughs and played with the kiddos for just a bit.  Look at those cheeks of Haddie's!  Harrison is such a big boy on his motor bike.  He said the most precious thing when his momma asked him, "Harrison, who made waffles today?"  "God makes waffles."  Precious!  It reminded me of a story my friend and neighbor, Leah, told me recently about her son, Evan.  She asked him, "Evan, where does Molly live?"  Usually, he points over to our house.  But on this special occasion, he took his hand and pointed to his heart, which is where he points to when Leah asks him, "Evan, where does Jesus live?" 

This evening, Matt bar-b-qued burgers on the new grill he got for his birthday.  It was his first time grilling and he did an excellent job; the burgers were perfect!  Below are a couple of pictures of flowers in our garden.  There is one of the Knockout Rose that is absolutely fabulous!  You'll see there are more than 5 blooms already on one stem, with at least 5 more buds ready to blossom.  It's a gorgeous cluster!  The other yellow flowers are from the Esperanza Yellowbell.  Before you think our newly planted garden looks great, let me say that one small Cherry Laurel tree that was here when we moved in has suddenly turned a dark brown with crispy leaves, and, it seems as though our Lantana is also sickly.  We're trying to figure out what is ailing our plants, and the enigma of it is what stresses me out.  Gardens are meant to be somewhat calming and relaxing, right?  Well, not for me.  It's what probably caused the 2 grey hairs to sprout.

For the past couple of days, I've been telling Molly that, "We are going to the park on Friday"!  So since this morning when we woke up, I reminded Molly that today will be a very fun day because we have a play date at the park.  Even as I left for the manicure and pedicure appointments my kind husband gave to me for my birthday, Molly already started getting excited when I walked to the door.  "No, not yet," I told her with her eyes glaring back at me like I've totally let her down.  Yes, I'm mean for getting her all wound up at 8 a.m. not to be leaving until 1 p.m.!  And as soon as I got home, she then thought it was time to go.  This is the honest to goodness truth:  every time I go to the bathroom before we head out (could be 1 minute or 45 minutes before we leave),  I am sitting on the toilet and here comes Miss Molly looking for me, giving me once again those eyes that say, "Come on' mom.  Is it time yet?  I'm ready!"  Every time I'm sitting there and this little girl comes truckin' in wondering if we're going yet.  Why the bathroom for heaven's sake!?  It happened to me just 15 minutes ago, so I just had to blog about it.  You all are likely wondering why I don't close the bathroom door, huh?

Molly's a smart dog.  She knows what the words "go", "let's go", "truck", "walk", "squirrel", "breakfast", and "go get 'em" all mean.  And I think she's nearly learned the word "snuggle", which I use all the time right before I put her in the bed with me.  Whether she's there for 10 minutes or all night, I use the word "snuggle" so she knows she gets to be with me in bed.  Rarely does it actually mean she's snuggling with me, up close and personal.  That would be my preference, but no, she would rather sprawl out and take half the bed than get all snuggly next to me.  Unless she's been in bed with me all night.  If that's the case, then in the mornings when we wake up, she wakes up quite playful and in the mood to snuggle, coming next to me as close as she possibly can.

So we're going to leave for the park in 25 minutes or so, and I can guarantee this dog is counting down the minutes.  As soon as I stand up, she'll know it's time and then go buzzerko on me, without me having to say a word.  We're headed to Zilker Park to meet my friend, Janna, and her two 14 month old twin girls, Emily and Lauren.  You see, Janna is afraid of dogs.  Bless her heart for knowing how much Molly means to me and being willing to extend her comfort zone to even pet her.  I joke and tell Janna that she will have to get used to doggies because I bet her anything that her girls will beg and plead for one by the time they're 7.  And Janna will cave.  It may even happen before the girls turn 7 because they already love dogs!  They've interacted with Molly once when they were real little and loved her then, so I can't imagine how much they'll love her today!  Miss Molly and I are going to the park to let Emily and Lauren hang with Molly and play all over her, and help Janna be a little more comfortable around a dog.  In all reality, it's just a fun reason for the two of us to get together!   (Interruption:  Molly is standing right next to me, staring at me with her ears perked ready to go!  I can't keep this puppy waiting much longer so I'll wrap it up.)  I'm thankful Molly loves big and little people so much!  She'll help convince Janna that dogs are the best.  I bet anything Janna will have a dog of her own some day soon.  I just know it!

What an exhilarating morning of cheering, running, celebrating, and getting drenched!  With over 8,000 participants, downtown Austin was buzzing with excitement, live music, and some pumped runners.  Our friend, Chris, indicated last Friday that he wanted to run in the 10k, and because I was unable to run the race, it worked out perfectly for him to use my registration.  So we met Chris, Jill and the kiddos, who were real sleepy-eyed troopers being forced to wake up earlier than usual, at the race.  I was the honoree "gimp girl", but surprisingly, it led to some wonderful conversations with people that I would not have had otherwise.  As people were stretching, warming up, looking like classic runners who knew what they were doing, I felt a little out of place until one kind lady walked up to me and said, "Both me and my daughter feel your pain; we've both been where you are, dear."  Bless her!  And as we hung around the race more, there were a couple other ladies wearing the same black boot, which by the way, was voted by two people (one by phone and one by comment) to be nicknamed "Darth Vader", or "Vader"! 

It was thrilling to watch the thousands of people line up.  I kissed my hubby and sent him on his way!  Jill and I got to see our friends, Aron and Janna, as well; they were running with their twin girls.  As soon as the race officially started, the rain came down.  It would stop every now and then, but basically, we were all drenched!  Jill and I ventured toward the finish line to start looking for our husbands.  The first runner came down 1st Street haulin' it; I think he finished under 30 minutes.  Cheering, Jill, Harrison, Haddie (in the stroller) and I stood planted, peering as hard as we could through the chain link fence to watch for our runners.  As more and more people started heading toward the finish line, the more exciting it got, and the harder it rained.  I kept drying my eyes with my shirt so I could see more clearly.  One hour into the race, my beloved came around the corner!  He looked so good!  He ran his best time and oh, I was likely a crazy woman cheering for him!  And Chris finished shortly thereafter.  Harrison's precious cheers would melt anyone's heart.

Waiting for our husbands to clear the crowds at the finish line, Jill and I watched Harrison delight in playing in the water puddles, "splishing" and splashing.  And then, I saw Matt!  Never do I kiss him when he's sweaty, but because it was raining, I thought he would be less sweaty and more wet because of the rain.  So I planted a big one him, only to taste salt!  Although surprised by this unwelcomed taste, even had I known he was salty with sweat, today would have been an exception to giving him a smacker because I was so proud of and excited for him! 

Way to go, Matt & Chris!

I've already been on the website for Runtex to see what upcoming races there are that hopefully I can participate in as well.  Until then, you'll be catching me wear Vader.

Only 25 more days until Matt and I embark on our first running race ever:  The Capitol 10k!  Our timed run starts at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 30th.  Faithfully training, we're currently running 4 miles nonstop!  This coming Sunday will increase to 4.5 miles, with only 3 weeks left to go!  Matt still runs quite a distance ahead of me, but hey, I'm just thankful I'm not keeling over, and pray I feel good the day of the race (I'm a little worried about the hills and hope my nerves don't get the better of me).  For those interested, click here to see the race course map.  While running, I've been listening to a combination of Twila Paris' The Ultimate Collection and U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind.  The U2 CD is quite empowering and motivating with its rhythm, and I love the worshipful mood Twila's music puts me in starting out the day with a run.  But I'd love some more recommendations for good running music.  Any suggestions?

We've discovered a new tasty indulgent treat that has become our favorite:  Shake's Frozen Custard! 

There is a location in Georgetown, right up the highway from us.  Matt took me on a little date to try it out, and let's just say we went there twice in one week it was so good.  Totally indulgent!  Totally scrumptious!  Thank goodness I'm running!  I got their frozen custard "concrete" with fudgy brownie and hot fudge all swirled together, and my PB guy got a "concrete" with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and caramel.  You should check to see if they have one in your area and try it out.  Let us know what concoction you end up indulging in.

I had some ground chicken to use but didn't quite know exactly what to make with it, so I did a little recipe search on CookingLight.com.  I came across a great, tasty recipe I thought I'd share for Chicken-Chile Tostadas. 

You can either buy ground chicken, which I did and is the easier route, or you can grind your own by putting the raw, boneless chicken breast in a food processor.   Also, the recipe calls for baking your corn tortillas to get the crunchy tostada, but there are a couple of options here:  you could just buy the pre-made tostadas at the grocery store, or you could just make soft tacos with corn or flour tortillas, which is what I did.  I cut out the cilantro because it's not a taste I am fond of particularly, added tomatoes and black beans, and made some homemade guacamole to go with the meal.  (The recipe is below if you'd like it.)

Three cheers for Lost!!  It is SO good!  Don't you just wake up in a good mood on Thursdays knowing that you'll get to watch it that night?  I do!

This Friday, I am going on a road trip with my dear friend, Jill, and her two precious kiddos, Harrison and Hadleigh! 

We'll pack up the car with kid gear and the feast I'm bringing along for dinner one night.  We're going to go spend a few days up at Jill's parents' place north of Dallas, and the fellas will join us over the weekend.  We did this over a weekend a year ago and had a blast!  The guys shoot at target practices (last year Matt took his first shot ever and made a bull's-eye!).  And it's so fun watching Harrison get excited to ride the "gator" (a John Deere tractor) and play in the hot-tub.  Maybe Jillie will let me pick out a bow or two for Haddie to wear. <grin>  So all to say, I hope to keep a photo log of our trip to show you when we get back!  It should be a riot!

This post is simply a conglomeration of thoughts and happenings over the last few days; maybe I'll write something deeper later this week.

First, it is official:  I registered for the Capitol 10k race on March 30th, and SO DID MATT!  We're therefore committed to what might very well be an act of lunacy, and while Matt still has to come up with a plan for his training, I successfully ran 2.5 miles today without stopping or walking!  For anyone who knows me well, they will tell you that exercise is something that is never on my top 100 things to do, so this really is a huge accomplishment!  After watching American Gladiators last night, I figured I could push through 2.5 miles; it's nothing compared to what those contestants do!

Speaking of American Gladiators, my college friend and house-mate, Lindsey, lives in Pasadena, CA studying at Fuller Seminary.  A close friend of hers at school, Andy, is one of the American Gladiator contestants that made it to the semifinals!  His next appearance on the show is this coming Monday, February 11th at 7 p.m. (CST).  How fun it is to at least know someone who knows someone who is on television!  Lindsey was able to go to the filming of Andy's Gladiator debut a month or so ago, and we were even able to catch a glimpse of her on T.V. cheering him on. 

Last week, my dear husband took me on a little getaway to Wimberley, TX to celebrate our 5 year anniversary that was in December.  For our readers in TX, let me highly recommend the following bed & breakfast:  Blair House Inn.  Each detail of the inn was extremely well thought out; the breakfasts and desserts in the evenings were a taste bud's dream; the rooms and amenities were a perfect blend between exquisiteness and comfort.  We had a most enjoyable time together, doing absolutely nothing.  The funniest moment of the trip was when I acknowledged, of my own accord, to Matt that, "I am a walking contradiction," (examples need not be divulged at this time), and his reply wasn't what you would typically expect a gentleman to say after his wife admits such a vulnerable truth (i.e. "Oh, honey, not really.  I love you just the way you are.").  Instead, he let out a deep sigh, looked me straight in the eye, and with a smile, said (in so many words), "Oh, wow, you really finally understand what my life has been like since marrying you."  It was like he was relieved that I finally grasped this side of my wacky personality!

Alas, the brief winter season in Austin, TX has come and gone.  It is likely that over the next couple of weeks that I will put away our winter clothes, and sadly, it's only the beginning of February!  The tell-tale sign that winter has abruptly come to an end this year is that my daffodils have sprouted!  Overnight, they appeared; I can't believe it! 

Lastly, don't forget to vote for your favorite Super Bowl commercial here.

Well, after my 2.5 mile run today, let's see if I can get up from sitting on the floor for the past 2 hours without stumbling...

One of the goals I have this year is to run at least a 10k and hopefully, a 1/2 marathon.  Unfortunately, what I'm discovering is that most of the running events are held in the spring, which gives me very little time to train.  Julie, my sister-in-law, and I want to pick a race to run together and we're thinking about the 1/2 marathon in Nashville on April 26th.  Right now, I'm at a pathetic 15 minute mile (mostly walking) as I'm really out of shape.  The first race I want to run is the Statesman Capitol 10k in Austin on March 30th.  I've browsed some websites for training resources, but would really like any recommendations from you all!  Any good websites?  Training resources?  Tips?  Bring it on; I need all the help I can get!

This is the first annual inkpots awards, the Best of 2007 (thank you, J.R. for the idea)!

WORLD WIDE WEB CATEGORY:

Best Website:  shelfari.com and myrecipes.com (tie)

shelfari.com:  a global community of book lovers that allows you to build a virtual shelf of books you've read, ones you're reading, and your wish list.  You can share your shelf, along with other recommendations and comments with your online community of friends.

myrecipes.com:  Instead of tearing out page after page of recipes Meg finds in her Cooking Light magazines and putting them in an ever-expanding binder, she can now organize her recipes online, create special menus and shopping lists!  In addition, she also has access to hundreds of recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, and Real Simple!

Best Blog:  J.R. Briggs' brokenstainedglass
J.R. is a friend whom Matt grew up with and who now pastors a church in Pennsylvania.  Not only does he have great blog ideas (such as this one), he also is an inspirational writer, someone whom we admire, and Meg's primo blog example.  One of her 2008 blog goals is to make it onto J.R.s "Blogs I Browse" list.

MEDIA CATEGORY:

Best New Release Movie:  Dan in Real Life
Ok, we really didn't see that many movies in the theater this year, so while this movie doesn't have much serious substance to it, it was a wonderful romantic comedy that had us laughing hard; plus, it has one of our favorite actors in it:  Steve Carell.

Best Documentary:  Planet Earth
By far the most spectacular footage of our planet!  We "ooed and awed" all the way through it.

Best TV Comedy:  The Office
Dwight.  Jim.  Pam.  Michael.  Characters that keep us laughing, cringing at awkward, embarrassing moments, and craving more.  The best ever!  We agree with J.R.:  the writers' strike has got to stop!

Best TV Drama:  24 and Lost (tie)
There's no one like Jack Bauer, and we've never sat on the edge of our seats so much, jumping up after each episode yelling, "No way!  I can't believe that just happened!"  As for the last season of Lost, what a finale:  totally unpredictable, thought provoking, and intense.
 
Best Tech Podcast:  Java Posse
Matt looks forward to this podcast each week as Dick, Carl, Joe, and Tor show themselves to be a class act in the Java community.

Best Podcast that Others Would Actually Listen To:  Focus on the Family
Matt used to listed to parts of the Focus on the Family daily broadcasts on the way in to work in the mornings if it happened to be on the radio.  But since he started listening to their free podcast, he can catch the whole show and pick and choose the episodes he wants to listen to.  A great way to stay updated on issues facing the family today in America culturally and politically.

Best Book of the Bible Studied this Year:  Ephesians
Meg took this course, taught by her friend, at church, and it was great!  Even though she had read Ephesians before, the in-depth look at this book really personally hit home and made Meg stand in awe of the promises we have in Jesus.

Best Book:  Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin
A wonderful historical fiction novel, the first of three in the "Refiners" series.  Set during the Civil War, it's written from the point of view of the daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family, and is a story of her inner battle with the cruelty and injustice of slavery.  It's a story about sacrifice and trust, a gripping tale and personally challenging as well.

Best Technology/Gadget:  Skype and the Skype phone (she said)
Can you believe it, this is SHE said!  Wonderful (and prudent) ways to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world.  And the Skype phone is a nifty gadget that acts as a land-line phone and also a phone that lists all of our Skype contacts.  So instead of dragging out our headset and computer to make a phone call, we can just pick up the phone and make the call.

Best News/Educational Periodical:  The Economist
Great synopsis of world events.  Dense and a lot to take in, but after reading it, we feel like we could have an educational and informative response to current events.

FOODIE CATEGORY:

Best New Recipe:  Easy Corn Casserole and Jill's Secret Salsa (tie)
Meg was ecstatic after receiving a secret family recipe for salsa from her friend, Jill, as a white elephant gift for Christmas!  But tied with it is a recipe for corn casserole.  The recipe, from Cooking Light, is a lighter version of a traditional corn-bake, but one that is just as moist and delicious...and so easy!  It's a great recipe to have on hand when craving comfort food, and goes well with a side of chili, chicken or brisket.

Best New Restaurant:  4-way tie
The foodie in Meg couldn't limit this category to just one restaurant!  These are all new discoveries (because Chuy's Mexican food, of course, would win hand's down).

The Steeping Room:  New to Austin, this is an eclectic tea room with an atmosphere welcoming to both men and women.  The list of tea selections is vast, and the food both delicious and refreshing.

Main Street Grill:  A charming, elegant restaurant tucked away in downtown Round Rock.  We celebrated our 5 year anniversary at this delectable eatery.  Expensive, but perfect for a special occasion and the food measured up to the price.  We savored every bite. 

Gristmill:  In Gruene, the Texas setting of this grill is fabulously located on the Guadalupe River.  A great place to take visitors.

Mellow Mushroom:  We came across this restaurant, a pizzeria, in Asheville, NC.  The crust, made with spring water is so good and the toppings are sometimes a unique combination, but very tasty!  We soon discovered that Mellow Mushroom has now opened in Austin on Guadalupe!

Best Snack:  Popcorn Palace Popcorn
The combo of white cheddar and caramel is the best!  This was a perfect snack to have on hand at Christmas.

Best Foodie Periodical:  Cooking Light
The special 20th edition that came out in September was the best ever! 

Best New Dessert:  Chocolate Italian Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Meg made this for her daddy's birthday in July, and it was a hit!  She had to make more icing because she nearly ate all of the first batch of icing before it made it onto the cake.

TRAVEL/ADVENTURE CATEGORY:

Best Romantic Spot:  A little bench located on the Biltmore Estates property in Asheville, NC that overlooks Bass Pond
We didn't want to leave that little bench!

Best Scenery/Outdoor Spot: The Blue Ridge Parkway
Breathtaking...and humbling.

Best New City Visited:  Charleston, SC
Between being near the ocean and the southern hospitality, we found this to be both a soothing getaway and a charming historical city.

Best Airline:  Emirates
We likely will not have this category in future "Best of" lists, but after all the traveling Meg did this year, with mishaps, delays and canceled flights hopefully to never be duplicated, Meg thought it was apropos to include this category for 2007.  By far, Emirates was the airline with the most helpful and polite flight attendants, the best flight service (for movies, music and comfort), the most timely, and the most enjoyable. 

Best Adventure:  Traveling to South Asia and England, without Matt
This was the best and most challenging!  Enough said.

LIFE CATEGORY:

Best Date:
(Each month, we plan a date for each other based upon each other's interests.)

Enchanted Rock (he said):  This was the best date Meg planned for Matt, which was a day outing to Fredericksburg to hike Enchanted Rock and picnic.  This topped Molly's list as well. 

Breakfast in bed and a trip to the nursery to pick out rose bushes (she said):  You definitely know when your husband loves you when he will gladly sit with you through a lecture on roses at a nursery and excitedly pick out rose bushes with you to plant together!  And the whole wheat pancakes Matt lovingly made and served Meggie in bed that morning hit the spot.

Best House Project:  Making our flowerbeds
This might be the best and worst all at the same time.  We worked so hard doing all the labor ourselves, only to watch 3/4 of our baby plants die in the Austin downpours last spring.  This just may end up on our "Best House Project" category for 2008 when we replant everything.

Best New Austin Discovery:  Whole Foods Market on North Lamar
A foodie heaven!  Each time Meghan is in that store, she discovers something new.  It's also a great place to take visitors; their jaws always drop!

Best Surprise:  Meghan piercing her nose
Ahhh, yes.  While in England, Meg decided to pierce her nose with a tiny diamond, a totally spontaneous and highly unlikely thing for her to do.  But she did it, and both he and she like it!

Best Reward for Standing in Line at 6 a.m.:  Getting seats for the dress rehearsal of Saturday Night Live
For Julie's bachlorette party in NYC, all she wanted was to somehow make it into SNL, which required us to make a very early morning trek to the NBC studios to wait in line for a couple of hours for tickets, with no guarantee of getting in, and not expecting to at all.  But to our surprise, all 10 of us girls made it in for the rehearsal!

Best Inspirational Story:  Watching Meg's grandmother, Gaga, and good friend, Tycha, battle cancer with courage, determination, and amazingly good attitudes
Both ladies are tremendous examples.

Best Molly Moment:  The Mighty Texas Dog Walk
Molly and Meggie participated in The Mighty Texas Dog Walk last spring, and Molly wanted to be the first to cross the finish line!  She dragged Meg the whole way and didn't even want to stop for a drink of water.  While we weren't the first to finish the walk, it was still a very proud moment in Molly's precious dog life.

Best Creative Outlet:
Blogging!  (she said):  Meg absolutely loves blogging and building an online community of friends and family; she's always looking for ways to make it more interactive and interesting.
Creating DVD slide shows (he said):
Matt made several DVD slide shows over the year for Tom and Kim's and Mac and Julie's wedding rehearsal dinners, and also helped his dad with Matt's grandpa's 90th birthday slide show.

Best Store:
Sur la table (she said):  An amazing kitchen store!  The baking selection of pans, muffin tins, sprinkles and icing is fascinating.
The Apple Store (he said):  While this is a "he said" store, every time Matt shows Meg a new Apple gadget that he likes, she just happens to want one, too.

Best Quote:  Robert Bruce, 19th Century missionary to Persia
"I am not reaping the harvest; I can scarcely claim to be sowing the seed; I am hardly ploughing [sic] the soil; but I am gathering out the stones."

Best Attribute of God Revealed:  His grace
While this is certainly a hard category to narrow down, His grace is something that has been quite evident in 2007, in a very real and necessary way, because there were definitely things that weren't the "Best of". 
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:1-4

Best Moments: 4-way tie
June 10th:  Tom and Kim's (Matt's sister) wedding
October 20th:  Mac (Meg's brother) and Julie's wedding
Christmas with Meg's family in Austin (from the decorating and preparation to our time together)
October 21st:  Meg's Daddy's return home to TX after a year in VA for work

Best Milestone:  Our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary