snow day (and a giveaway!)

Hip hip hooray, we have (another) snow day!

enough snow already and a giveaway!

Good morning friends!  Today I'm afraid I have a case of the Mondays... er, Tuesdays.  We got more snow and are facing some negative degree temperatures for the next couple of days.  I have to admit, I've had enough of this snow business already - come on, spring!  Until then, I'm going to take a chapter from Lyla's book:

Yep, this pup has the right idea for staying warm in this crazy weather.  Stay safe and warm, y'all!

PS - I'm co-hosting my very first giveaway with sweet Susannah and friends at Simple Moments Stick for a $50 Etsy gift card - you know you want to check it out!  You can earn entries below.  Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway  

january-ing

How is it January 11th already?  After surviving the Polar Vortex last weekend, I feel like this week has flown by.  It's a balmy 34 degrees here today, which feels great after the -40 degree windchill on Monday.

I'm a little behind the curve in setting some goals/hopes for this upcoming year.  Hopefully they will come together this weekend, but in the meantime, I leave you with my "happen-ings" of this month!  (here are the month-ings for October, November and December) 

reading:  I got The Power of a Praying Wife over the holidays from a sweet friend in our small group, so I am looking forward to getting started on that.  I'm also still working my way through One Thousand Gifts - it's a great book and I am taking my time, savoring each chapter.  Good stuff in there.
making: travel plans for the year.  We just booked a houseboat trip with my family in June and I couldn't be more excited.  I'm also hoping to arrange a girls' weekend sometime this spring.
cooking: Steve is on another round of his P90X program and this time I am jumping in with him... so we have been doing a lot of healthy cooking.  It's been a fun adventure.
drinking: lots and lots of hot chocolate, especially during the Polar Vortex.
wanting: to go line dancing.  I used to go all the time in college - such a Texan thing - and have really been missing it lately.  There's one country dance hall in town, but I don't know much about it.  Maybe it's time for me to look into it.
watching: Downton Abbey!  The season premiere was last weekend and I am re-hooked to that show already.  I'm also looking forward to the return of Sherlock next weekend.  I'm all about the BBC shows this year.
eating: please see cooking, above.  Lots of healthy food - with some cheats here and there :)
enjoying: getting back into the swing of things with work and routine after the holidays and snow storm.
deciding: to care for my body better this year.  That includes both how I work it out with exercise and what I put into it with food.
wishing: we could have spent more time with my family of Christmas.  We had a wonderful time - it was just way too short.
wondering: what God's plan is for us geographically-wise.  I've been feeling a tug back to Texas lately and am trying to sort out what God has in mind for us in the near and distant future.  I love Indy but I love Texas too.  It's confusing.
learning: how to use my new camera.  It's been so much fun!
hoping: that the rest of my little sister's residency interviews go well and that she gets her top choice of programs on Match Day in March.  I got to take her to a residency interview in Chicago last weekend before the snow storm and we had a great time.
marveling: at God's power through nature - and also how He can make beauty out of nothing.  One day, our back yard is just a bunch of dead grass... the next, it's a winter wonderland.  Pretty incredible.
smelling: do you think that snow has a smell?  I definitely do - before the snow storm, I could have sworn that I could smell the change in the weather.  Kind of like when it rains.

missing: Texas.
wearing: lots and lots of layers.
noticing: that I seem to struggle more and more with the cold each passing year.  Not a good sign.  This disease runs in my family and I'm pretty sure I have it.  Thus why I am wearing lots and lots of layers!
knowing: that He makes everything beautiful in its time.  (Eccl. 3:11).
thinking: that there's nothing better on a cold winter's night than drinking hot tea by a warm fire.
pinning: encouragement for making healthy lifestyle decisions.
feeling: cold.  I'll just leave it at that :)
praying: prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord for carrying me through the past year.  Despite challenges and adversity, He blessed me in so many ways and I am especially thankful at the start of this new year for new beginnings and fresh starts.
looking forward to: seeing what God has in store for us this year.  I'm sure it's going to be good stuff.

loving: weekends with no plans.  After a busy holiday season, it's refreshing to wake up on a Saturday morning and have the entire weekend at our leisure.  I'm sure when spring rolls around we'll be traveling much more etc., but for now I'm enjoying the slower-paced weekends.

I hope you are having a great January so far!

snowed in

I began 2014 with plans to post a big "New Year" post... but then life got in the way.  Well, more particularly, the Arctic Chill got in the way.  I returned early from a trip to Chicago this weekend (for my sister's residency interview) and was promptly snowed in by a foot of snow and sub-zero temperatures.  Brrrrr.  The storm itself was pretty brutal, but when it finally let up we were left with a beautiful winter wonderland.

{can you spot the cardinal in this picture?}

Steve and I both had work cancelled yesterday and are working from home today.  I'll be honest - it's been kind of nice to start of the New Year with extra relaxation time at home.  But I'm sure cabin fever will set in soon, and I'm ready to get back out into the world!  So is Lyla.

I've been enjoying my new camera while we have been stranded.  Don't be fooled though... it may look really tranquil and pretty out there, but it's -15 degrees with a brutal wind chill!  I'm content to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate and take pictures, thank you very much.

Hope you are all staying safe and warm in this winter weather!

chicago christmas

This year, Steve and I began a new Christmas tradition of spending a December weekend in Chicago.  In the midst of all the hubub that is the holiday season, it was so great to just get away from everything and be tourists in one of our favorite places.  Steve lined up all of our hotel/dining reservations, so all I had to do was show up.  This girl was certainly spoiled over the course of the weekend!

 

We drove up to Gannie's house on Friday night through a snowstorm.  It got so bad that at one point, Steve and I debated which small Indiana town along I-65 would be the best option for seeking shelter in case we got stranded.  I'm happy to say that we made it to Gannie's safely and if we had waited until Saturday morning to make the trek, we most likely would not have made it to Chicago since the snow just kept on comin' down.

 

Our first stop on Saturday was a long-time beloved one of mine - the Museum of Science and Industry.  We caught several of my old favorite exhibits (the train, u-boat submarine, planes and ice cream parlor) along with a few new ones (the annual Christmas Trees Around the World exhibit and model trains).  I grew up going to the museum with my grandparents, but it was Steve's first visit so I was excited to share in his experience! 

 

We spent several more hours in the museum than we had originally planned, but it was totally worth it.  After we saw everything we wanted to see, we headed off to check into our hotel.  Steve found a little boutique hotel a couple of blocks off of Michigan Avenue, which worked out perfectly.  We had a great room and the service was terrific.  Also, a huge plus in my book - they served a continental breakfast on every floor so all I had to do was put on a comfy robe and walk down the hall.  Perfect! 

Anyway, back to our sight-seeing... after checking in to the hotel, we did some serious window shopping on the Magnificent Mile.  There were shoppers everywhere and after a while it started to get overwhelming, so we took a break on a love seat in the top floor of Crate & Barrel. 

Nap-time!  It was all I could do to get him to leave this chair.  He was way too comfortable to move.

After shopping wore us out, we took a break in the hotel and headed out to dinner at Gilt Bar.  Steve picked the place, and oh my goodness was it good.  We ate to our hearts' content and then took a (very chilly) stroll along the Chicago River before crashing back at the hotel for the night.

On Sunday, the high in Chicago was 12 degrees, so we were all about staying indoors.  That didn't stop us from still catching some great views, though!  After thoroughly enjoying our continental breakfast (seriously, I loved it), we made an impromptu decision to visit the Chicago Skydeck.  The Skydeck is at the top of Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) and has incredible views of the city and Lake Michigan.  We tried to go once before when we were in town for a wedding several years ago, but the line was 2.5 hours long.  No thank you!  This time, though, we beat the rush and got there right when it opened.  Before we knew it, we were at the top - and oh man, what a view.

 

My favorite part by far was The Ledge - a series of glass boxes protruding out of the side of the building.  You can stand in them and look 100 stories down to the street - it's a crazy/thrilling feeling!  And of course, the perfect photo opp.

 

Look, Mom - no hands! :)

 

So, so cool. If you're ever in Chicago, this is a must-do.  And I highly recommend beating the rush early on a Sunday morning.

Next up on our agenda was seeing The Hobbit in 3D.  We saw the first one last year around the holidays, so it's become a tradition and was perfect for sticking with our plan of staying warm and avoiding the frigid cold.

It was a really good movie.  My only complaint is that I felt like they overdid Evangeline Lilly's role.  I appreciated the addition of a woman to the cast, since the book itself doesn't have any female characters whatsoever... but I just felt like her story took up too much screen time.  Nevertheless, the movie is well worth seeing.

 

We had one more stop to go on our trip - Milennium Park.  Originally we planned on taxiing it, but at the last minute decided to walk instead.  It was great, until it was not.  After a while we started freezing, but still managed to snap a quick (albeit blurry) picture with the snow-covered Bean.

On our way back to our hotel, we stopped in a nearby Giordano's to warm up and to devour some delicious deep dish pizza (my favorite) before heading back home.  There are few things I enjoy more than eating pizza with this cutie.

All in all, we had a truly wonderful time.  It was the perfect getaway - one in which we did a lot but not too much, and got to take a step back to enjoy each other during the most hectic and busiest time of the year.  It's a new tradition that I am already looking forward to for next year.

 

Chicago, you were splendid as always!  Until next time!

december-ing

...and just like that, it's December!  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  Mine was lovely - a nice long weekend in Texas with my family.  Couldn't have been better.  I'll do a recap post soon, but until then, here's what I'm currently up to as we usher in the most wonderful time of the year!

reading: "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  My mom loaned it to me over the weekend and I haven't been able to put it down. 
making:  good use of our new living room furniture.  You can read more about that here.
cooking: turkey!  I helped my mom prepare the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner - it was my first time roasting a large bird. 
drinking: peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks.  Yum.  I also tried a peppermint mocha over the weekend and for a girl who doesn't like coffee, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
wanting: a new camera.  It's on my Christmas list :)
watching: 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family.  I am a huge fan of the old claymation movies, especially Rudolph.
eating: unfortunately, not enough Thanksgiving leftovers.  That's the only downside of flying to home for Thanksgiving - we can't bring leftovers back.  But I got in my fair share while we were there!
enjoying: Christmas music.  All day, every day.
deciding: to spend more time reading and less time watching TV.
wishing: that grocery stores sold egg nog all year long. I love egg nog.
wondering: what to get everyone for Christmas.  I see a trip to the outlet mall in my near future...
learning: that thanksgiving isn't just a one-day-a-year thing.  It's every day, every year. 
hoping: that I will master this whole twitter thing eventually...
marveling: at how the Christmas lights twinkle and dance on our Christmas tree. 
smelling: peppermint everything.  Yum.

missing: my family.  Can't wait to see them again in just a few weeks though for Christmas.
wearing: dresses and leggings. By far my favorite outfit combination. It's so comfortable.
noticing: how important it is to choose words wisely.
knowing: that even though I am a "grown up," it's totally okay to be a kid about Christmas. 
thinking: about running another half marathon.  Maybe one in Dallas - an excuse to see my folks for the weekend?  We will see!
pinning: crockpot recipes.  Time to gear up for these cold winter months.
feeling: homesick (and Texas-sick). 
praying: for my sister as she travels all over the country for residency interviews.
looking forward to: seeing my family for Christmas!

loving: John Piper's advent devotionals.  They are a great way to remember the true reason for this beautiful season.