Our First Christmas

Needless to say, I have some catching up to do. After finishing up my semester at Luther Seminary, I finally had the opportunity to fully enjoy the season. The last month or so has been wonderful having the opportunity to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with friends and family. Noah and I really enjoy spending time with our families and we are blessed to live close to them. Our first Christmas it was so great to be able to spread the Christmas celebrations out for a week or so. It allowed for a less stressful holiday, and an opportunity to really be present with the people that we love.

We also made sure to think about what traditions we want to start as a family and felt that this was something important for us to do our first year together. We don't know exactly what that will look like in the future, but this year, we decided to worship together on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas morning just the two of us, cozy  in our pajamas, gazing at the tree, and opening the gifts we had for one another.

Christmas was everything is is meant to be. Here are just a few of the highlights:

 

Elaina had received a kitchen set from Santa so Noah and I thought I would be appropriate for her to have her very own chef's hat and apron. It was so much fun seeing how excited she was about it. I love the picture on the left...it looks like she is being "crowned" as a new chef!

Of course there was also lots of time for play! I can't get over the relationship between Elaina and Noah! Those two are quite the pair!

Our first Christmas did not disappoint and I am so excited for all of those yet to come!

Tonight for Dinner....

I found this recipe on Pintrest last night and just happened to have all of the ingredients so Noah and I got to work on it. If you haven't heard of Pintrest.com you need to go there right now!!! I was shown this site by a good friend over the weekend and I am seriously hooked to this site that is full of ideas. Want to find a great recipe? Check out Pintrest. Want some home decor ideas? Check out Pintrest. Want to make a gift for someone special, but need an idea? Go to Pintrest! I'm not kidding. It's awesome.
 
So I thought I'd share this recipe that we had last night for dinner. It not only looks amazing, but it also tastes amazing. Note: This is total comfort food (and this is the perfect time of year for it), but if you want to go for a bit leaner option use light sour cream and low fat cheese. You could also try using margarine, but when all is said and done margarine isn't any better for you, so I say go ahead and indulge a bit by using butter. :)
 

Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

ENJOY!!!!

Will He Still Love Me Tomorrow?

I've learned that there is a totally new sense of humility when one shares their entire life with someone. The things that you were able to "get away" with before, no longer can you get away with. For guys this may be leaving the toilet seat up or leaving the dishes in the sink. For me, well lets just say I didn't think I would EVER do this and when it did happen, I was beyond embarrassed with myself. It's taking a lot for me to put this out there and I know some may think it's crude and wonder why I'm writing about it, but I've learned a lot through this experience and because of that, I feel that I should share. I've also come to terms with the fact that it really does happen to everyone at least once in their life and if they say that it never has, they are lying to themselves. So please promise that you will not judge me or look at me differently after this post because I am really putting myself out there. Promise?

I don't know if this is something that happens after you turn 30 or if it is something that just magically happens after you are married. It's like all of a sudden your body turns against you and desires to place you in the most embarrassing moments ever. So....here it is....

I woke up last night......
                      My lower body vibrating.....
                                                    and I finally realize....
                                                                            I've just farted in my sleep...
                                                                                                                 and it's just woken me up!!

I laid there in sheer terror, wondering if this unfortunate event has also woken up my husband. Oh, the horror! He'd never look at me the same way again. I would never be considered attractive again. I now have the title "Gross and Loud Farting Wife" written on my forehead. I was relieved to find that this incident had not disturbed Noah. I fretted over this experience for quite a while, but I finally fell asleep knowing that my secret was safe. Noah would never have to know that his wife farts to the point that it wakes her from her sleep.

The next morning I was over the humiliation and realizing the humor in what had happened. It's so funny how you can hear of this happening to other people, but feel that you are so far removed from it and that it would never happen to you. When it does happen, and you find yourself in that moment of humiliation, it's priceless.

Noah could see that something was up. He has a great way of knowing when the wheels are turning inside my head. He of course asks me what I'm thinking about and I of course say, "nothing". I didn't know if I could tell him. The thought that he would for sure find me unattractive and want to leave me flashed through my mind. Finally, I mustered up the courage and shared this awful event with him. After hearing the story, the expression on his face was...a mix of joy, relief, wonder, and like he had just heard the funniest joke on the planet. He looked at me and in his expression, I knew, that he thought I was something special. Every hesitation and fear in my body that I would some how disappoint Noah by not being perfect had disappeared. I was amazed at his love for me.

Humility continues to be one of the key words in this relationship and it seems to come in the funniest of packages. As we continue to get to know one another and how this marriage thing works, we are surprised by all of the great things we are learning about one another and ourselves as a couple.

I thank God for moments like these.

Oh, and I should mention that Noah has also experienced an event much like this one, only instead of being terrified of what I may think, he has this sense of pride, as if he has accomplished something great. I have been woken up in the middle of the night, not by my own flatulence, but by the stench wafting from underneath the covers from Noah's side of the bed. I'm not kidding. It literally woke me up!

It seems we may just be the perfect couple. ;)

The Most Important Year of Our Lives

So, supposedly this whole being married thing is a big deal...or so we've heard...many, many times.

I would totally agree.

I've learned a lot in the last nine months. I have a feeling however, that there is a whole lot more to learn; about Noah, about myself, about marriage, and life in general. From the very beginning, Noah and I have known that it wasn't going to be a cake walk and we've wanted to prepare ourselves (as best as we can) for the journey that lies ahead. So....we bought a book that would tell us everything (don't we wish)!

Although this book could never fully prepare us for all that lies ahead as Noah and I travel through life together, we have found it to be insightful and challenging at times and it has brought us some great topics to discuss.

What book is it you ask?

The Most Important Year of Any Man's/Woman's Life by Susan and Mark DeVries and Bobbie and Robert Wolgemuth. It's two books in one- there's a book from the female perspective and a book from the male perspective. The two books meet in the middle with reading and an "activity" for the couple to do together once they have each read their portion. It's a book that could be read at any stage of marriage. I usually run away from any reading that may potentially tell a woman how she should be a wife and how man should be a husband however, that is not what this book is about at all. Their ideas are very open, untraditional (which is what I like), and yet still honest.

So far, it's been great and both Noah and I would highly recommend it for any couple.
It's a fun read, not boring, it gets you laughing at yourself, your significant other, and sparks some great conversation.

The Sacred Moments!

It's been a while, I know, but a lot has happened since my last post and I'm excited to share how God has been showing up in these newlyweds lives. Some of you may know that Noah and I had to go through a tough spot in life that showed up LITERALLY right after we got back from the honeymoon. I got word that there was going to a restructuring of staff at my job which may lead to the loss of my job. In April, this turned out to be the case and one of my worst nightmares. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. It sucked. I felt completely deflated and I couldn't understand why me and why now. I just got married for crying out loud! I am supposed to be enjoying life, not worrying about my future. For me, it was a total blow. It made me wonder if God was really calling me to do youth ministry or if it was time to venture off and do something else. I was frustrated with God because I felt that God really wasn’t speaking. God felt really distant. I will say however, that although God felt distant, I felt aware of God's love for me through my unbelievably supportive husband, family, and friends. One always can see how much they are loved in the way that people surround them in need.  Despite how low I felt, I was very aware of people around me that believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself.

And so the story continues....sorry....this is going to end up being a long post.

In July, Noah and I decided to spend a week out in Colorado. The two of us love spending time in the mountains. There is something built inside each of us that longs to be surrounded by them. I think it was one of the initial attractions each of us had towards the other. 

It has always been a goal of ours to climb to the top of a mountain, so Noah felt that we should take this task on while we were in Colorado. As we researched the area that we were going to be in, we found that the tallest peak in Colorado, second tallest peak in the nation, was Mt. Elbert (14,443 ft) and we were going to be camping right at the base of it. Noah firmly believed that, “This was the one!” and I firmly believed Noah had spent too much time in front of a computer screen and in the process had killed way too many brain cells (for those of you that do not know, Noah works for IBM and spends every hour of the work day in front of a computer screen. It has to be doing something unnatural to his brain, right?). My goal was to climb a mountain, not the mountain. 

The trail to the top of Mt. Elbert consisted of 4.7 miles with an elevation climb of 5,700 ft. Some previous hikers had written about their experience; many of them having to turn back at about 11,500 ft because of the altitude. This was not going to be an easy or enjoyable task for me. I was thinking there was no way of making it to the top. I’m not in the shape that I need to be in to do this. I don’t have it in me.  Some how, Noah talked me into it. A few days later, I was at the trailhead at 6:30 in the morning starting one of the most mentally and physically challenging endeavors I had ever done. Hiking up a steep slope was tough enough, but having to stop every 7 steps to catch our breath because of the elevation made it almost unbearable. There were a few times during the hike where either Noah or I was ready to give up and turn around, but we continued to encourage one another to keep going. 

It took us six tough hours to get to the top. The emotion that filled me as we reached the summit and I looked out over the peak is something that I have a difficult time putting into words. We did it! I had just completed something that I had never believed I would have been able to do. Everything about the experience was truly breathtaking.

As we were at the top of Elbert, God was really starting to say something as I reflected on the experience. Lyrics to one of my favorite songs came to mind.

“I had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view. Looking back I see the lead of love.”

I was reminded that our journey through life’s experiences can be much like climbing Mt. Elbert. It can be brutal. It can get to a point where we don’t feel like we can go on. We’d rather just turn around and give up. The reality is that God is there with us and surrounding us with the people that we need to keep us going; to make it to the breath taking view that awaits us at the top. God’s love is leading us all the way.

Sitting at the top of that mountain with Noah was a truly sacred moment. I'm so glad that I get to journey through life and experience those sacred moments with him. 

Dad's Favorite Treat: Homemade Caramel Recipe

For Father's Day this year, I decided to make my dad's favorite...homemade caramels!!! I loved seeing his face yesterday when he opened up his box that was filled to the brim with his favorite treats. This will please any sweet tooth. 

Homemade Caramels 
Makes about 60 caramels

Prep and cook time: 1 hour (not including time to cut and wrap caramels, save extra time for that).

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Equipment:
candy thermometer
3-qt. sauce pan 
parchment paper 
8×8 or 9×9 pan 
wax paper for wrapping caramels

1. Line pan with parchment paper, even up the sides. 
2. Cut butter into smaller, even sized cubes for even melting. Melt over low in sauce pan.
3. Carefully add sugar by pouring it into the center of the pan. If any sugar crystals stick to side of pan, push them down with a damp pastry brush so they do not crystallize the entire batch. Stir slowly until well combined with melted butter.
4. Add and mix in corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk.
5. Cook and stir on medium for one minute, then to med.-high until boiling. You want to change temperatures slowly so you don’t shock the candy. Once boiling, clip on your candy thermometer (don’t let it touch the bottom of the pan or it will be off). By the time your caramel is boiling, if you have been stirring well, you should have the butter fully blended into the caramel mixture, not separated.
6. Reduce heat to about medium, adjusting so that you keep a moderate, steady boil. Stir frequently. If you let your caramel go too long without stirring, you’ll end up with a separated, greasy batch of caramel. 
7. Temperature does not raise at a steady rate, so watch thermometer closely. 
8. When thermometer reaches 244°, remove caramel from heat.
9. Stir in vanilla and then pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Careful....it's very hot. 
10. Allow to cool for several hours and use a large knife to cut into pieces. Wrap in wax paper. Enjoy!!
    
    

Sleepwalking

I do weird things in my sleep. I have since I was about 10 years old. Please don't laugh, but I am a 32 year-old sleepwalker. When I was twelve, I woke up in the middle of the street with my bedspread wrapped around me. I was dreaming that my bedspread was actually my neighbor's across the street and I had to run over and return it...in the middle of the night. I can't imagine my neighbor's faces if I hadn't woken up. There I would have been, at 3am, in my pajamas, trying to give them my bedspread. Other nights, my mom would hear someone walking around the house, panic a bit at the thought of an intruder, only to find out that it was me. I'd wake up a bit startled to mom yelling, "Erin, get back to bed." I had no idea what was going on. LOL...I don't blame her though. I'd be a little freaked out too.

So, for most of my life, it has only been my parents and sister that have been able to experience this, beyond weird, night time phenomenon of mine; that is, until I got married. Oh, poor Noah. He didn't know when he married me that he was going to have to experience some of the craziest nights he could imagine. It's something that most people grow out of, but not me. Being a sleepwalker is a bit embarrassing to admit, but Noah and I always have a good laugh about it. It's really nothing I can help, I just need to go with it and hope that I may still grow out of it before I really do go and knock on my neighbors door at 3am.

Last night, Noah got to, once again, experience one of these sleepwalking experiences. He had almost thought that the episodes were done since I had not had one in a few months, but no such luck. Noah was awoken to me in a bit of a panic because a "spark" from a neighbors' campfire (at 3am) had made its way into our bedroom and was now floating into the bathroom. In my state of mind, I somehow thought that the spark was going to set fire to the house, so I asked if Noah would go stomp it out. Noah, being frustrated about being awoken and knowing that I was dreaming, simply said, "No, it will be fine." I remember getting pissed that he was going to make me go and do it. Note: From my experience of sleepwalking, I am in a state of dreaming and yet still conscious. It's really weird. I think this is why I am often able to remember what's going on and how I am feeling. Anyway, I get frustrated with Noah, let out a big sigh as I get out of bed, go to our closet, proceed to find a sturdy shoe, and go back to the bathroom to stomp out the spark that some how had found its way into our house. Low and behold, when I make it to the bathroom, no spark is to be found. I turn on the light and see absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. It is at that moment that I start to think about what is going on and the actual possibility of it, and realize that I am in fact sleepwalking. I get back into bed, my heart racing (it always does that when I wake up from one of these episodes) and relax enough after a few minutes to fall back asleep.

This morning, as I get out of bed, I stumble on one of my winter shoes, wonder what it's doing there, and then go to Noah and ask, "Did I sleepwalk last night?" Noah bursts out laughing and proceeds to tell me what happened. As soon as he sparks my memory, I'm able to remember everything. We just sat and laughed at my silliness. If nothings else, it provides some great entertainment.

Wow, dreams are funny things. Please tell me that I am not the only 32 year-old sleepwalker out there.