Valentine’s Day 2008

I’m not one to get too excited about Valentine’s Day. After all, it’s just a consumer-driven holiday. But this year, for whatever reason, I was so excited about it. I think it was just the fact that it was one night that Tyler and I would definitely have together, just the two of us. We’ve been so busy and going in different directions lately that sometimes we only see each other before bed.

We decided to do something we wouldn’t normally do and go to a really fancy restaurant in town. We chose Madeleine’s Fusion Restuarant upon the suggestion of one of our friends who really, really loves the chic eatery in downtown Evansville. I made reservations for us about a month in advance so I wouldn’t forget and be too late to get a table. The more the night neared, the more excited I got. Their web site said there would be a fixed menu with certain items to choose from for an appetizer, second course appetizer, main dish, and dessert. The price was $90 a couple, but since we weren’t buying each other gifts and the food was supposed to be out of this world, we were okay with that.

We get there and we get one of the front tables by the window. Normally, I don’t like to be on display for everyone who passes by the restaurant, but it was okay because I was pretty proud to let everyone see I was with Tyler, who I have to say, is quite a catch. Yes, I am a very lucky girl.

We waited quite a while for the server to take our drink orders. He took about 10 minutes to dress the table behind us, but we were patient. The waiter then goes over the menu for us, although we can read. It was quite humorous and obvious that he didn’t know too much about the items on the menu, which I thought was probably understandable considering the menu changes weekly. We decide on the scallops for the first appetizer and the lobster bisque for the second. Then Tyler ordered the halibut for his main course and I got the Chicken Madeleine (chicken with artichokes and a sauce). All in all, we waited 45 minutes before we got our first appetizer. We were a little annoyed that the table behind us, which got there at least 15 minutes after we did, was served before we were. We think that it was because they ordered wine (think bigger tip). Nonetheless, the scallops were the best part of the meal. They came with a medley of different sweet potatoes that were melt-in-your-mouth good. I would never have thought to put the two items together. The lobster bisque was okay, but didn’t have a whole lot of taste to it. The temperature was perfect; not too hot, not too cool. Neither of us ended up finishing our bowl.

When the main course arrived, we each tried the other’s food. Tyler’s halibut had a really good flavor, almost woody since I’m assuming it was cooked on a wood plank and I think I detected a bit of honey, too. My chicken was good, but way too salty and peppery, which is one them that reoccured with many of their dishes. I like pepper, but I also prefer other flavors to be present. The vegetables that came with both meals were very, very yummy and different from anything I’d ever had before. I really don’t know what it was, but I may be doing some research so I can cook some at home.  We didn’t finish our main dishes, partly because we were getting full and also because we were awaiting the dessert. It was heart-shaped shortcakes with strawberry, sauce, and whipped cream. It was good, but the shortcake was not as fluffy as I would have liked and I would have liked more strawberries, as well.

All in all, the dinner was good, but not worth what we paid for it. I’m definitely glad we tried it because I had been hearing really good things about it. Maybe if we didn’t have to choose from a fixed menu, it would be different, though.

I have to say that the best part was the company. Tyler and I were able to talk about things and just relax. It was so nice to be with him and laugh and just have a good time. We don’t get to do enough of any of those. After our dinner, we topped off our romantic night with a trip to Walmart. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we have fun just browsing. We looked at tv’s (we’re finally considering getting cable and Internet, and we’ll probably put one in the bedroom) and cell phones (we’re either switching providers or getting new phones). I love how Tyler laughs and smiles when he sees new technology that he just HAS to have. His eyes light up. And you should have seen him when he found that Sprint carries a slim phone almost the size of the old one that he used to really love. He’s so cute!

When we got home, we exchanged our cards. It’s funny how similar our cards were. He gets kudos, though, for finding one that played music. When you open it, it plays “My Girl.” I always look forward to reading what he writes, though, even moreso than what the card actually says.

It all goes to show that it’s the little things in life that impress me. You can fine-dine me and buy me nice things, but it’s the things that come from the heart that mean the most.

 

My New Year’s Resolutions – A Day Late

Taking inspiration from the people in my Courier & Press story, I’ve decided to make some resolutions of my own.

1) Be more green. While I already have a fuel-efficient vehicle (I absolutely love my trusty Toyota Corolla S), use energy-saving light bulbs, wash clothes in cold water and reuse bottles for our water, I really believe there is more I can do to help the environment. I’m no tree hugger, but if I can do even a little bit to save our earth, why not? Therefore, I resolve to try to save all of our cans to help with the Habitat for Humanity can collection (they recycle the cans AND get money for it…killing two birds with one stone!). I also plan on taking my own bags when I go grocery shopping. Any other suggestions?

2) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. So far so good. Even with the frigid cold weather we just got, I was able to find a workout yesterday to do inside (thanks, Billy Blanks Tae Bo Cardio DVD). I also just got a resistance band from Target for $2.50, so even if I can’t get out to run, I can at least do crunches, push ups and some resistance training. Tonight, I’m hitting the treadmill downstairs at work.

3) Eat fewer sweets. I believe this was a resolution last year, and I did pretty good until Thanksgiving time and on. Even last night, I had 3 chocolate chip cookies after dinner. Not because I was hungry, but because they looked good. I need to learn to pay more attention to how I feel before I take a bite…am I really hungry, or is my brain tricking me?

4) Learn how to use a digital SLR camera and become really, really good at it. I’m taking two classes at Ivy Tech starting Jan. 14, so that will be the first step. This will require a lot of practice and patience on my part, but I’m really excited about it. I already stalk several blogs for daily inspiration. After I tackle the basics, I plan on doing a maternity shoot with my sister in law and eventually would like to take on a wedding.

5) Get to work earlier. While I technically don’t have to be at work until 9, it does look better if I would get there by 8. So, I’m going to work on getting out of bed when my alarm actually goes off and getting out the door no later than 7:30. This may require packing lunch and ironing clothes the night before, but I can handle that.

6) Focus more on my marriage. Some issues I have to deal with are trust, communication and time management. I’d really like to make more quality time for us doing FUN stuff instead of the daily “work” that comes with being married and owning a home.

These are my main goals, and I think each one is definitely attainable.

 

Highs and Lows of 2007 and a Fast-Forward to 2008

Highs:

1) Finishing the Evansville Half Marathon without passing out. As many of you know, I wasn’t that lucky in 2006. And considering how hot the weather was in October this year, this is definitely something to be proud of.

2) Tyler’s band, BorrowedTime, got off to a good start. They played a handful of local shows and one in Columbus, Indiana. Tyler, BJ, and Cassie are the core members and they’ve had some turnover throughout the year. As of now, it’s Tyler on drums, BJ on vocals and lead guitar, Cassie on vocals and accoustic guitar, Logan on the saxophone, and Daniel (aka Dandy) on bass.

3) I really grew spiritually. Much of this is thanks to a little book called Captivating but mostly to some really awesome, authentic Christians in my life. I’m even unofficially getting the youth group at our new church, Sojourn Newburgh, off to a start. I’m very excited about what the future for this church holds.

4) Tyler and I celebrated our second anniversary with a trip to St. Pete Beach, Florida. We had some rough times in our first two years, but we made it through. And we’re stronger than ever. It was a great trip, but we found out we’re kind of boring when we don’t vacation with at least one other couple.

5) We found out Tyler’s sister is pregnant (I can’t WAIT to be an aunt!). It’s a girl and her name is Elizabeth and she’ll be here in April! We were totally shocked by this because Adam and Kyla swore they’d never have kids. In fact, when Tyler’s parents tell people they’re going to be grandparents, everyone assumes it’s Tyler and I who are expecting.

6) I earned some extra income by writing/photographing for the Courier & Press and also by doing some copy editing. There were some really fun stories that I was pretty proud of and that allowed me to be creative. It was a lot of work at times, but I was glad to earn the extra money so I could buy Tyler an iPod Touch for Christmas.

7) I went on Accutane for my acne. It sucked that I had to do it, and there were times that I hated the medicine with a passion (dry skin, always thirsty, blurred vision, fatigue), but I’ve been off of it for about 3 weeks now, and my face is clearer than it’s ever been. I’m praying that my face stays clear, because it was a lot of effort and it was NOT cheap.

8) I got to go home for Christmas. I hadn’t been up north since May so the trip was long overdue. It was great to see my family (although I only got to see my mom’s side) and share in a tradition that was such a huge part of my childhood. There was nothing like Christmas at the Jones’.

Lows:

1) Tyler’s papaw had a decline in health, thanks to Parkinson’s and Alzheimers. He is now in a nursing home, where we don’t get to see him too often because of his eating and sleeping schedule. I would love nothing more than for him to have a complete turnaround and get better. It saddens me to see a man once so full of life ravaged by these horrible diseases.

2) My allergies were horrible this year. I had to take several days off to take care of them and to basically sleep them off. I’ve been on Allegra for over a year and it still didn’t help. I’ll soon be going on allergy shots soon, which I’m not too thrilled about.

3) I was really sick for about three weeks. In fact, today is the first day that I actually feel better than 90%. This not only made me cranky at home, but also really made me miss a lot of work and get off of my running routine. It was a nasty virus that I just couldn’t shake.

4) I have lost touch with a lot of friends I hold very dear. Life is busy, plain and simple. But that’s no excuse to forget about friends who have made you who you are.

5) We didn’t have any measurable amount of snow. My poor Tyler’s only wish was to have snow to go out and play in. Every time we’d have snow in the forecast, he’d wake up in the morning and check outside, only to be disappointed. It would be great to have a big snow so we could go out and throw snowballs at each other and also so Lola could try to eat all the snow in sight. Seriously, she has her tongue out the entire time just licking at the snow. It’s pretty cute.

Up for 2008:

1) I start classes at Ivy Tech in January. I’ll be going back so I can learn the basics of photography and hopefully build up a clientele so I can have a business. It would be great to be able to stay at home when I’m a mom (one day).

2) Borrowed Time will record a demo in Nashville in January. They will spend an entire weekend as well as the following Monday recording about 5 songs. (I’ll spend much of my time taking pictures and scrapbooking with Rachel.) The band hopes to make it in the lineup for some summer festivals. It would be Tyler’s dream come true.

3) I’ll be running the 500 Festival Mini Marathon (the biggest half marathon and 8th-largest road race in America) in Indy with my college friend Jaimie. She currently lives in DC where she is a law student, but she’ll be coming back to practice law and live in Indy a couple weeks before the race. I’m really looking forward to connecting with her and catching up on things. 

4) We’ll be going to Hawaii for our vacation. A woman I work with is graciously letting us stay in the home she owns on Oahu - for free. I’ve already purchased all the plane tickets and booked our hotel for while we are in Maui for one night. We’ll be going with BJ and Rachel, so it should be a lot of fun.

5) I’ll be doing less work on the side so I can focus on family and friends. This means turning down some stories, but it will be worth it. I haven’t had a chance to breathe lately.

6) Sojourn Newburgh will launch at the beginning of the year. New year, new location, and a lot of faith in what God is doing we hope will equal helping to change the lives of people in the area. We could certainly use prayer, but if you’d like to give, you can do so online at www.thesojourn.org. I’m going to be trying to find interesting ways to decorate the youth room, so if you have ideas, let me know. Right now, I’m thinking chalkboard paint on the walls.

I may add some more later as they come to me, so check back.

 

I’m still alive…

I haven’t posted in forever. Thanks to Jaimie for bringing that to my attention. Not that I didn’t know, I was just putting it off. I haven’t felt too inspired, and I’ve also been slacking partly because I’ve been so busy with work (copy editing and writing for the paper) as well as trying to fit in time with Tyler.

Speaking of Tyler, he had his 23rd birthday earlier this month. We celebrated by going to his favorite restaurant, Yen Ching, with family, BJ, and Rachel. His mom made him a huge, decorated cookie instead of a cake. Then we celebrated that weekend, as well, by having a bonfire at his parents’ house. My mom was able to be there since she was in Terre Haute that day (I convinced her she should come down since she was already about halfway). She had to leave early the next morning, but it was good to have her there. For the most part, I think Tyler was a lot happier this year than for past birthdays. For some reason, fall always seems to make him a little gloomy, so I was happy to see him smile more.

I also decided to run the 500 Festival Mini Marathon with my friend Jaimie (whom I haven’t seen since we graduated college in 2005). It’s the largest half marathon and the 8th-largest road race in the country. I was a little hesitant to sign up since I hadn’t done much running at all since the Evansville Half Marathon in October, but I went ahead anyway. It always fills up pretty quickly (it has a 35,000-person cap) so I didn’t want to miss out. Since signing up, I’ve been pretty good about running. Last week I ran 4 times and already this week, I’ve run 4 miles and have plans to run again tonight with my friends from the Evansville Half Marathon. I’m hoping we can keep each other motivated to work hard, even though she’s in DC and I’m here in Evansville. Even if I’m not as in shape as I want to be in May, I look forward to seeing a dear friend.

We’ve also been busy with the new church. We’re moving into a new building in the Wesselman’s complex in Newburgh at the beginning of the year and we’re also trying to raise funds. I’m very excited about this church. It’s a church like none other I’ve been to/part of. These people have really helped me see it’s not about rules so much as just having a relationship with Christ. I really feel like I’ve totally changed since I have been in high school and even college. I’m still the same me, but with a much clearer vision of what it’s all about.

Andrea and I went shopping the day after Christmas. I spent way too much money on myself at The Limited as well as got all of Tyler’s Christmas taken care of. It wasn’t as crazy as what I thought it would be on Black Friday, but still busy nonetheless. I’m extremely excited about the Christmas season. I get to go back home the weekend before Christmas to be with my family; I haven’t been home in ages. I’m also looking forward to all the fun things like wrapping gifts, decorating the house (which we took care of most of that this weekend), and baking. It all just brings a smile to my face.

 

Halloween at the Neff’s…

Managed to be pretty uneventful again this year. Only three trick-or-treaters…which is three more than last year. Oh well…that means lots of candy leftover for us. At least Lola looked cute dressed in her witch costume!