I am SO not a city girl

One of my favorite things about this apartment is that the windows face trees instead of buildings.  Every morning I sit on the couch with the blinds open and watch the pine needles flutter in the breeze, golden green in the morning sun.  And the calm beauty of it sooths my soul. 

I need this. 

For the 3 years I was in League City, I had few chances to see God's beautiful nature.  I was surrounded by brick buildings and cement.  I worked in a room with no windows and ugly butter-colored walls.  I was busy every day, with no time to sit and reflect.  It may sound silly, but I felt like I was being slowly smothered, like I was gasping for a glimpse of beauty.  I was desperate for a getaway, planning vacations to beautiful places in my head to get away from all the ugly.

I have discovered that I can never be a true city girl.  True, I love having shopping and restaurants nearby and I hate bugs, but I need a piece of nature like I need to learn and create.  It's a part of who I am.

 
So this, this is like a soothing balm on my nature-starved soul, and it is wonderful.

Because it's Friday

Because it's Friday, and things shouldn't be taken too seriously on Friday, and because I can't resist these things, here's a just-for-fun ABC quiz.

A. Age: 25

B. Bed size: Queen.  Although James probably wishes we had a King because I tend to steal his covers and scootch him over to the very edge of the bed in my sleep.  I'm apparently a bed hog.

C. Chore that you hate: Dishes.  They are never-ending!  I think there are gremlins in my kitchen making messes while I'm not looking.

D. Dogs: No dog yet, but we're trying to adopt one from a nearby shelter.  We love him already!

E. Essential start to your day: A kiss from the hubby before he goes off to work.

F. Favorite color: I can never answer this question correctly because I have three favorite colors.  They are Clover, Turquoise/Teal, and Plum.  NOT green, blue, and purple...I am very specific.  :-)

G. Gold or Silver: Silver, but lately I've been digging the gold. 

H. Height: 5'8".  I don't wear heels.
I. Instruments you play: Piano.  When we get a house, I am getting a piano.  I miss it!  I played the flute in 9th grade, but don't ask me to play now because I have completely forgotten everything.
J. Job title: Currently I am a Spender of the Money and an interior decorator wannabe.  ;-)
K. Kids: None yet, but I love 'em!  Especially wee little tiny brand new babies. 
L. Live: Maryland.  Isn't that weird? It's definitely not Texas, but I like it here so far. 

M. Mother’s name: Diana.  She goes by DeeDee, and she reads this blog.  Love you Mom!

N. Nicknames: Karebear, Karibug, Scary Kari, Hairy Kari, Fairy Kari (Pretty much anything that rhymes with Kari, I've been called) Fuzzywuzzy, Red

O. Overnight hospital stays: I was in the hospital for a few weeks when I was born because I was premature.  That's it.  I'm hoping to keep it that way until I have kids!

P. Pet peeves: When people turn their bass up so high that it rattles/vibrates the car or floor.  When commercials advertise unhealthy, processed food as healthy. 

Q. Quote from a movie: "When what's left of you gets around to what's left to be gotten, what's left to be gotten won't be worth getting, whatever it is you've got left."  Name that movie!

R. Right or left handed: I'm a lefty.

S. Siblings: Three younger brothers and a brother-in-law.  We need some more women around here!
U. Ultimate Vacation: I have two.  My ultimate American vacation would be a road trip to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, The Colorado Rockies, and the Grand Canyon.  My ultimate non-American vacation would be to take a couple months off and go to the Mediterranean: Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.  Maybe throw in some Germany/Austria since they're so close.  I have big travel dreams!

V. Vegetable you hate: I don't know if I hate them, but I'm not a big fan of spinach or broccoli.

W. What makes you run late: I can't for the life of me get up when my alarm goes off...so it's usually because I overslept.  That or I spent too long on Facebook.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: My mouth has had an awful lot of X-rays.  I think dentists get a kick out of their patients gagging on those awful films that they shove into your throat.  Also I had my foot X-rayed when I broke my toe.

Y. Yummy food that you make: James likes my sausage pasta and shepherd's pie.  I like my red beans and rice, and chicken tortilla soup.

Z. Zoo animal: I always like the penguins and monkeys.

Happy Friday!

Fall Crafting

I have been on a crafting kick these past few weeks; I think I've been to Joann's about 5 times.  So, in  celebration of fall, here is my newest creation.

Isn't it pretty?  I used these tutorials.  The only supplies I used were burlap, felt, hot glue, that little berry branch, and a foam wreath form.  Easy peasy.  Hello fall!

God is Faithful: A Church Update

If you have been reading my blog since the beginning (February), you know that we had a hard time with church in League City.  We attended a small community church for about a year, and then some bad things happened and the church split up and we left.  After that, we visited what seemed like every church in the city and didn't ever feel right in any of them.  It was very discouraging.  Hands and Feet kept us in fellowship with believers (we love you guys!), and that was a blessing to us, but we were disheartened about the whole church situation.

When James accepted the job here in Maryland, I had a talk with God.  Several, actually.  And every time it went something like this: "Lord, I know that you want us to go here.  I am excited, but also nervous because we know nobody and it is so far away from our families.  Please, please, PLEASE provide a church family for us!  I can't do this no church thing anymore."

I've been memorizing 1 John 5:14-15.  It says:

 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

The American church may not always get things right, but I know that it is in His will that believers fellowship together, encourage each other, and hold each other to the Word of God.  So I could pray that prayer with confidence that eventually it would be answered.  The only problem is that God's timetable is not the same as mine and I know from experience that often God's answer is "wait."

I don't know all the answers about why we went through what we did in Texas, but I do know that part of it is because without hardship we can't really appreciate His blessings, and in the hard times we have to rely on God only.  Well I am appreciating His blessings right now because it seems that He has seen fit to bless us with a church home!

The second Sunday after we moved in, we visited a small community church that meets in a school.  (Side note: what is it with us and start-up churches?  It's like we're moths and they are the light, we're drawn to them!)  We sat down and immediately someone came over to talk to us.  After the service, we were invited to go have lunch with several young married couples.  Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, it was such a blessing!  Do you know that in League City, out of the 5 billion churches we visited, NOT ONE ever asked us to have lunch with them? 

We liked this church so much that we haven't even visited anywhere else.  We enjoy the worship and the service, but what has made it stand out are the people.  There are a few couples that even live in our apartment complex.  We went to a game night and tonight we're having a movie night.  I am blown away by how these people have just embraced us and taken us in.  It is wonderful!  True Christian hospitality.  I am not going to say with certainty that this is "our church" because we've only been there 4 times, but we both don't want to go anywhere else.  And that is a great feeling!

Praise the Lord for His blessings, His faithfulness never fails! 

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed, Thy hand has provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto thee!

Running update

Today I started Week 2 of the Couch to 5K program.  I ended up taking two weeks to complete Week 1 because I twisted my ankle and couldn't finish the last day, and I'm weird and didn't want to start Week 2 in the middle of a week.  So I just ran a couple extra days on Week 1 - extra practice can never hurt!

Week 2 is 90 seconds of running alternating with 2 minutes of walking.  That is a 30 second increase in running, and I was pleasantly surprised!  As far as stamina goes, today was great.  By the last run I was starting to get kind of tired, but that extra running really wasn't that hard.  In fact, I'd say today was easier than both times that I ran last week. 

My problem seems to be that random body parts hurt when I run.  Today my knees were hurting me, but not enough for me to stop.  I'm trying to be light footed and conscious of how I'm running so that I don't injure myself again, and new running shoes should help once I get them.

So that's how the running is going.

Also,  we might be getting a dog soon!  We visited a local animal shelter on Saturday and found a dog we would love to take home!  We are just waiting on more information about him, because he was new to the shelter.  We fell in love with him so we are crossing our fingers that all goes well and we can adopt him soon!  I'll definitely post pictures if we get to keep him. 

Friday musings

As of yesterday, we have lived here in Maryland for one month.  I feel like I should have some observations but I can't come up with anything right now, so here's what my brain has been occupied with this morning.

- It's a gray, off and on rainy day today and it makes me want to make cookies.  So I think I will try a new chocolate chip recipe this afternoon.

- We really want to get a puppy, so I've been looking at adoptable pets in the area this morning.  They are so cute!

- To usher in fall this week I put together an autumn table centerpiece, and it makes me smile every time I look at it!  Next up, a fall wreath.

- Tomorrow we are going to the county fair!  Isn't that cool?  I feel like county fairs only exist in movies because we never had one in Houston, so I think it's going to be fun.  And interesting.  For example, they apparently race pigs there.  And do something called a horse pull.  And the food is supposedly to die for.  On a side note, I said something about this area being rural, and someone asked me where I'm from that I would think this is rural.  But come on, they have a county fair!  I think that makes it rural.

- I am much more comfortable being by myself all day than I thought I would.  I feel more laid back and peaceful.  And also a little bit guilty because while James is working all day, I am running and blogging and reading and crafting.  But he says it doesn't bother him, especially since he has had to do WAY less chores these days.  I have to say, I feel happier here, and James said he can tell.  I think it has a LOT to do with me not having to work 40 hours a week at a job that I hate.  That really drains a person, so I am soaking up my freedom while I have it.

Now I'm off to go make those cookies and start on that wreath!  Maybe I'll put on a little Buble to keep me company.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we decided to take advantage of the cool weather and get out of the house!  We had grand plans to go to the National Zoo, take pictures in front of the White House, and see the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives.  We took the metro into the city because driving and parking is a pain.

However, once we got to D.C. I realized that it was colder there than at our house and I had not dressed warmly enough, so we had to stop and get me a jacket from Loft.  James says I planned the whole thing since Loft is my favorite store and he's partly right - I did actually look up where the nearest Loft to the zoo was just in case we happened to have some extra time, but I did not try to underdress on purpose!

After grabbing some lunch and walking around a lot, we finally found the store, but that little stop took up about an hour, and by the time we made it to the zoo, we were already getting sore feet and it was the afternoon.  We didn't make it to our other two planned stops, but that's ok!  We had fun at the zoo.

The pandas were the highlight since neither one of us had ever seen a panda in real life before.  They are so furry and cuddly looking that they could be giant stuffed animals, and they really do sit on their behinds like the pictures show.  I could just picture them sitting on the couch eating potato chips and watching TV.

We also saw anteaters...they are so funny looking.

And this funny gorilla and his antics made us laugh.

After the zoo, all of our walking around the city, and going down the longest, steepest staircases you've ever seen to get to the metro, we both had aching feet and legs - I am still sore enough two days later that I can't run today!  But it was fun and I think it is so cool that we can go to D.C. any time we want.  And most of the things there are free!

Unfortunately, today is Monday and James went back to work, so today is clean the house day for me!  I have no idea how two people can create such a mess in such a short period of time.  So, time for me to crank up the music and get my clean on.  Maybe I'll throw some periodic jumping jacks in there and call it my exercise for the day since I'm too sore to run...:-)

New jewelry storage

Yesterday I said that I had a little project in the works - a jewelry storage system!  This was how I was storing my jewelry:

My necklaces were all jumbled together in this box:

It was definitely not working for me.  In our old apartment, I had my earrings in those little drawer organizers and my necklaces hung on the wall in the closet.  It wasn't the prettiest system, but it worked and nobody had to see it.  However, this apartment has no hidden space for me to do the same, so I had to do something different.

Here is the finished product:

 Much better!  And a closeup:

I love it!  I love that it's girly and pretty and I can hang it on the wall in the bedroom and not have to hide it!  Plus, it was a fun craft project.  I'm definitely not crafty enough to have come up with this on my own, so I followed this tutorial from Live a Little Wilder.  I thought about spray painting the frame, but decided to keep it clean and white.  The fun thing about this is that you can personalize it however you want!  You can make the flowers out of any color fabric and spray paint the frame.  There are even different colors of burlap.

Here's the cost breakdown:

White frame from Michael's, half off: $8.99
Burlap from Joann's: $3.99 a yard.  I bought a whole yard but at most I used about 1/8 of it, so that would be about 50 cents.  I have an idea about what to do with the rest of the burlap so that it won't be wasted.
Fabric, felt, and sequins for the flowers: about $6, and I have leftovers of all of them.
Ribbon to hang it: $3 for the whole roll and of course I used a very small piece.
Six white hooks from Lowe's: $2.63

Total: $21.12

I also had to buy a glue gun for this project, but I didn't include it in the cost because i can use it over and over again.  If you already have ribbon, or an old picture frame to repurpose, this project would be even cheaper!

And there you have an easy, fun, and super cute personalized jewelry organizer!

C25K Week 1 Day 2

Woohoo!  I won't blog every time I run, I promise.  But I am excited because I finished Day 2 and it was EASIER THAN DAY 1!!  Given the fact that yesterday my back and legs were super sore, I thought surely today would be harder.  But I was less tired at the end, and my shins don't hurt today!  And so far I haven't gotten a single side stich or ichy legs (my usual side effects of running/walking fast)!  It may be a small thing, but for me it's a big accomplishment.  Here are the stats:

Distance: 1.69 miles
Calories burned: 173

Also, I have a craft that I am in the middle of making to help me store my jewelry.  I will post pictures of it when I am done.

Have a great Wednesday!

An introduction to running: Couch to 5K Week 1, Day 1

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12: 1b-2

Today I took a leap and started my journey to be a jogger.  I know, you're probably laughing right now, even I think it's ridiculous.  Because I DON'T RUN.  Like, ever.  If a wild animal was ever chasing me, my strategy would probably be to fall down and play dead.  It would have a greater chance of success than me running away.

But I did it anyway.  I'm really making it a major goal of this season of my life to get in better shape.  Not only to get a better shape (I'll admit, that's a big part of it) but also because regular exercise has many health benefits.  I have the time now to make exercise a priority, and so I am, because I'll probably never get this chance again to form the habit.

That being said, this is going to be hard. 

I've been walking a mile three times a week for the past 2 weeks in preparation, because I knew that just jumping into running without easing myself into it would be a bad idea.  And even still it was difficult.

Week 1 of the Couch to 5K program has the person alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes, with a 5 minute walk for warmup and cooldown.  That doesn't sound too hard right?  I was able to complete the whole workout but I was pretty wiped by the end.  And I'm pretty sure I'm the slowest jogger on the planet.  Also, my shins hurt.  Already.  Isn't that something that seasoned, hardcore runners are supposed to get?

If this program can actually get me to run a 5K straight through in less than 5 hours, it will be a real live miracle.  I prayed before I started that I wouldn't give up, and the verse above popped into my mind.  "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..."  I've always loved that verse, won't it be cool to apply it to actual running?  Well ok then, I guess I'm going to do this thing!

Our new apartment

I know that you guys want to see what our apartment looks like, so I took some photos.  We haven't hung any pictures on the wall and the I'm not terribly fond of the furniture arrangement in the living room, so things will change, but for now this is how it is.

I am not fond of the black countertops.  They show every little drop of water and look dirty very easily...which surprises me because I would think the dark color would hide blemishes, but not so.  However, this kitchen has a bit more storage space than my last kitchen, and there is an adjoining laundry room (I was standing in it to take this picture), so I will forgive the ugly counters.

If you look to the right when you walk in the door, you see the living room.  It's been hard to find a good furniture configuration that both of us like, so it's here for now.

There is actually a separate dining area behind the living room in this apartment and I like it, especially the view from the balcony.

From the dining area there's this little media nook where we put our desk.  Not sure if that bookshelf will stay there or move somewhere else.

Then there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms in the back, one of which has no furniture and the other of which is too cluttered at the moment for me to take a picture.  :-)

So that's our apartment!  We like it.  I can't wait to have a house though that I can paint and really make our own, but for now, we're pretty happy with what we've got.

Time to go make dinner, chicken cordon bleu is calling my name!

Pictures from the air show

On Sunday we went to the air show at the base to see the Blue Angels!  They were really neat; I didn't expect to like them so much, but it is amazing what they can do.  Ten percent of the pilots have died since the shows began - it is dangerous to fly 18 inches from the plane next to you!  But very cool to watch.

Pictures from the trip

Happy Labor Day!  Here are some pictures of our road trip to MD.  We went through 8 states, including Texas and Maryland. I enjoyed getting to see the terrain along the way since we usually fly. 

 We drove through a big storm in Louisiana and I thought the sky looked really ominous. Also, LA looked a lot like TX until we got to the swampy part.

Then it was on to Mississippi, where we stayed the night.

Alabama was next.

We went through a tiny tip of Georgia and then onto Tennessee.

We spent most of the third day in Virginia, which was my favorite state although I was getting tired of being in the car by then.  Virginia is beautiful, especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

Sadly my camera died right before we got to Maryland so I have no picture of the state sign.