Twenty-Eight

Inspired by my friend and fellow blogger Jessica, I decided to list out twenty-eight things I am thankful for as I think about this last year of being twenty-seven and a new year of being twenty-eight. In no particular order.

1. Jesus. He is my Savior, Rock, and faithful friend in every situation.
2. Chris. I love being married and it's fun to see where this life will take us together. He's great!
3. Tinkerbell. It's so fun to have a dog. She is always ready to hang out and give kisses. She even behaves well - most of the time.....
Ok maybe those first three were in order! Haha.
4. Coffee. I don't usually have it everyday so it's a treat for me. I love iced white mochas.
5. A promotion at work. I have been so glad to get a promotion at work and move to a job with better hours and more responsibility. Even though I still feel sometimes like I don't know what I'm doing, I am learning.
6. Garden fresh tomatoes. My grandma grows plenty and they are so delicious. I wonder why I even bother buying them in the store. I should just fast form tomatoes all winter and overdose in the summer.
7. Having family close by. It's nice to know they're just a short drive away.
8. Greenbluff. Fall is on it's way again and it is so much fun to drive up there to eat apple dumplings, get a pumpkin, drink apple cider and enjoy the fall beauty.
9. Our church. Crossview has been a huge blessing to us and we are looking for more ways to get involved.
10. WSU. Or more accurately my WSU experience. Chris & I are both full fledged Cougar fans and we love going back to visit our school. Whether it's a football game, basketball game, or just going to Pullman to see family & friends, we love it! I will always cherish those memories dearly.
11. God's creation. We've been getting to see bits & pieces of His creation in our area but I love the mountains and ocean most of all.
12. Old Friends. It's great having people who know you well even if they're far away.
13. New Friends. What a blessing to have made so many new friendships here. I am so thankful for these new people in our life.
14. Games. I love playing board games and I don't do it nearly enough. So during this 28th year I hope to do it more.
15. Sunshine. One great thing about the Tri-Cities is that most summer days are sunny with blue sky for miles and miles.
16. Swimming. So glad we got another summer in at our apartment complex so we could use the pool. Even if we didn't go nearly enough. Swimming is one of my favorite activities.
17. Blogging. It's so nice to stay connected to friends through the blogosphere and I am always finding new and interesting blogs to read. Plus it helps me keep everyone updated on my life and get my thoughts in order.
18. Cooking. I like finding new recipes to try and enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Cooking is very relaxing and it's fun to create delicious things to eat and share with others.
19. The Office. A strange thing to put on my list but I really love that TV show. It's kept us entertained with new episodes in the fall and reruns of the classics in the summer. Good ol Michael Scott and his crew. What would it be like to actually work there?
20. Chocolate. This one has to make the list. It's my weakness and I love it. Plus if you go dark it's good for you!
21. Photography. It has become my hobby and I hope one day to make some extra money with it. Practice, practice, practice.
22. Trees. This may sound strange but I love driving down a street lined with giant leafy trees and I also enjoy the changing of the colors in fall.
23. Our ice cream maker. We don't use it nearly enough but it's always a great treat to enjoy any time of the year!
24. Small Group. This last year I went from leading a woman's group to being involved in co-ed small group. Both have blessed me so much not only from the friendships but also from diving into God's Word and holding each other accountable.
25. Buying new clothes. This ties in with my new work promotion. It came with no uniform which means I get to shop for and wear my own clothes. And I love shopping.
26. Our health. Every year we make it through without a major illness or anything going on is a blessing. Thank you Lord for protecting us.
27. Our apartment. It's not the best place because it's pretty small but we are blessed with a roof over our heads and a maintenance man to fix everything.
28. Ok I had to add it: LOST! My all time favorite TV series. I was sad to see it go this year but am working on collecting all the season on DVD so we can watch it whenever we want.

Summer Pictures.

I love how there are so many great summer events to take pictures of. I have had a great time using our new camera (I still say new 6 months later). Here are a few of my favorites from the last weekend in Snohomish. We had such a great time with family we don't get to see very often. I hope it happens again soon.

Whirlwind Weekend

Chris and I had such a great weekend but it went by way to fast. After a stressful week it was welcome to have some time to relax.

Saturday after Chris got home from work we headed to Prosser, picked up his parents, and drove to Kent. We stayed the night with his aunt & uncle and enjoyed a lovely dinner and then s'mores and a fire pit on the deck. It was a beautiful warm night so we stayed outside as long as we could. They have an awesome view of the Olympic mountains and the lights of the valley. I could have sat out there all day.

Sunday morning after breakfast we packed up our things and headed out with his aunt & uncle to Snohomish to a family reunion. All of Chris' cousins on his mom's side were there along with most of their kids and of course all the parents. We had such a great time.

We had great food, played some water games, sang karaoke (well, not me), took family pictures and just hung out. The day was HOT so we were glad for the afternoon when the shade finally came to the porch. Family reunions are rare in our families so we were so glad to be able to go to this one. It was hard to leave and have a 3 hour drive home last night but our time there was well spent! I can't wait to do it again.

Now off to sort through the 120 pictures on my camera!

Oh what a day...

Today started out like any other. Get up, take Tinkerbell for a walk through the neighborhood, get ready for work, rush out the door 5 minutes behind! Well today that didn't work out so well because my car wouldn't start!

Chris has a car that he doesn't drive because of his work truck so I thought I could drive his car. But unfortunately he had his keys wwwaaayyy out on a farm. Too far to come give them to me.

Cue slight panic. How am I going to get to work? How am I going to make my dentist's appointment? If I make it to work, how do I get home?

All it took was a few text messages and so many friends responded to help. It wasn't fun not being able to drive myself but I was so thankful for the willingness of people to help out.

What great people we are in community with here in the Tri-Cities. And although my visit to the dentist was not necessarily fun (cavity fills) it turned out to be a good day after-all. Plus tomorrow's Friday so it can't get much better then that.

Diary of a Restaurant Hopper

So as promised I am writing about our adventures in eating out on our anniversary.

We decided to try an Italian restaurant both of us had been thinking about recently. We always think of it when we're already eaten someplace else so we finally were going to try it out. It's called Bella Italia and in a really cute building kind of off the main road in Kennewick. Well we drove up and the parking lot was empty. Strange for 7pm during the week. We could see that the open sign was not lit and it looked empty inside as well. Chris got out and walked to the door where there was a sign up saying they were closed from August 1st to September 1st for summer vacation!!! WHAT! Maybe they went back to Italy to learn some more cooking techniques. Well, we were disappointed so we brainstormed where to go next.

My co-worker had just told me about a restaurant her friend was managing that was having their opening night. It was called Pasta Mama's Santillis'. Sounds Italian right....what we were both craving. So we decided to check it out. There was hardly anybody in the restaurant but we sat down and started browsing the menu. Let me tell you, it was not very large. There were 4 appetizers, maybe 5 salads and about 10 entrees. None of the entrees appealed to us mainly because NONE HAD PASTA! Plus they were a little more expensive then we were looking for. We debated leaving but we felt bad because it was opening night and not a lot of people were in there. So we ordered an appetizer and a Caesar salad to share. We got the baked brie and it was delicious! I am not knocking this restaurant but we just thought they should have more variety of dishes on the menu. I'm sure we'll try it again.

Well, we both weren't very full after just a small meal so we finally ended up at PF Chang's. Which of course is always delicious. Let's just say it was an adventurous night of eating. But we had a good time celebrating our 3 years of marriage and all that we have been blessed with.

Sing It Out

Chris and I just celebrated our 3rd anniversary yesterday. We had an adventure going out to dinner (not bad, but funny). I will write more in detail later tonight or tomorrow. Sorry to leave you hanging but I am going swimming! It is hot here and this will be a record - swimming two nights in one week. Yay! :)

So in the meantime here is some entertainment for you. Just turn up the volume close your eyes and soak up the words. I promise you will end up dancing and loving it!