Crunchy Romaine Salad

I'm linking up with Casey today for a recipe exchange!

This is my staple, "oh my goodness this salad is so good, I want the recipe" salad. I take it to lots of dinner parties and serve it at my own, because it's so yummy! And it totally follows Elizabeth's rules because it is a very pretty and colorful side! I got it from none other than my wonderful mamacita. I'm sure she got it from somewhere, but who knows?!? Enjoy! 
 

Crunchy Romaine Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, washed, torn into pieces (I use 2 of the ready-to-go bags of romaine-easy!)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 pkg. Ramen Noodles (uncooked and broken into pieces....throw away flavor pkt.)

4 Tbsp. butter

4 green onions, chopped

1 can mandarin oranges

chopped fresh broccoli

Optional Ingredient: fresh sliced mushrooms (we love them!)

Directions: Brown Ramen noodles in butter over medium heat. Add pecans toward the end of the browning. Cool and drain on paper towels. Combine with rest of ingredients. Toss and top with dressing. Important suggestion!!!: Don't put the dressing on the salad until right before you are ready to serve b/c it saturates the lettuce too much and the salad gets really soggy. I just bring the dressing along in a tupperware until eating time!

Dressing:  1/2 cup vegetable oil

                1/2 cup sugar

                1/4 cup red wine vinegar

                 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

                Salt and Pepper

Introducing....

The newest member of our family, Dexter Dog! A.K.A.- "Dex" 

 He is the sweetest little Red Heeler mix puppy and Rocky is in high Heaven, well not at first, but they are doing great! Rocky dog, (aka Rockstar, Rocks, Bat Dog, Rocky dog dog, Rocky Top Brownlee, and unfortunately, Houdini Dog) has had, ahem, a problem. A VERY big problem that has occurred for the last 3 years! Ever since we moved here and he discovered the fact that the newly planted grass was planted on top of sand and that it's super soft and fun to dig through, he has found every way under the sun to get out, scaring his mama to death when she gets home and he is not in the backyard. He knows it's wrong, sulks when he comes back in the house, most of the time is waiting on the front porch and just wanted to go out for a little "joy run" and then head back home. We have gone to great lengths over the last 3 years to contain him. Colby put vertical boards along the fence line that he had to cut each one, we have rocks lining underneath the back fence with chicken wire over that, and we have had to just keep piling on rocks, dirt, have sprayed "no dig" spray around the perimeter, you name it. Yet, it's always a new task each day to go out and see where he has dug. The latest trick while Colb was in Detroit was digging under the side fence into the neighbor's yard and then under and out their fence. UGH! Rocky! He is a great dog and our baby that we've had for 5 1/2 years and I can't imagine coming home one day and him being gone, taken, smushed, you name it, yuck!

Exhibit A, B, C, and D.

 So I finally hit my limit and we went to Lowes to look at Doggy doors. You see, Rocky is usually in the house if we are home and sleeps inside, etc. It's just the days that Colb and I are at the hospital for long shifts where we leave him outside so that he can run around and play, or relax on his outside pillow under the covered porch in the shade. No animal cruelty here, folks. Quite the spoiled dog who goes with us on all trips, and even runs errands around town. We love him and we don't have a baby, so don't judge! :) Anyhoo, doggy doors were quite expensive and the ones they had there didn't have the "lock out mechanism" for when you don't want them in the house or other critters in the house for that matter. So next we went to PetsMart, pretty much the same story, so we looked at their electric fences. Wow, they were super expensive, so that was a no go, plus we'd have to leave it here at this house and that didn't seem worth it in the long run.
Oh, but wouldn't you know that the local animal shelter was doing an adoption day and they had several precious dogs available. Skip to the point where we got totally SUCKERED! But the moral to the story is, they are great together! They play all day long, are now referred to as "the boys" and Rocky has not dug out once since Dex's arrival. He was just bored. We've spent some time training him, and he is super smart, but still has a ways to go to get where Rocky is, but is fitting into our routine quite nicely. He does know all the puppy essentials of NO! Down! Sit! Stay, and Potty Outside!
I have friends who are always comparing their 1st and 2nd children and commenting how different they are. Well, the same is true for dogs. Wow, Dex has no fear at all. He loves the water, got kennel trained immediately, has the funniest mannerisms, and we love him lots already! I thought we were crazy getting another dog, but he has been a lot of fun, we laugh at all his puppy antics daily and he and Rocky are so fun together. It is harder to travel with 2 dogs and their stuff, but totally worth it during the week at home with our usual schedule, since we haven't been able to spend as much time playing with Rocks as we used to. Welcome to the family Dex!!!

Hmm...this box is too small!

 Look at me!

 I love to snuggle!

 If I could just fit through this...

 Ok, so you got a bigger box, but, Hey guys, you want me to sleep in here?

 Our first night set up before getting his kennel

 This is what we do all day long!

 I think I can get the hang of this "leash thing"

 Could you say No to this? We couldn't!

 I love my naps!

We are learning to pose together

 I love to have my belly rubbed

A Daddy's boy already (but a snuggler with mom!)

 I love to wrestle with my big brother all day long

 We love to tug and pull

 Doesn't matter the toy, we will play with it!

 

We even share our pillow nicely in the car (even though we have our own)

 

Ooohh...it's tough work being a puppy!

 

I know these two are in for a lot of fun adventures together!  

Prayers Needed

Hey all-
Please take a minute today to pray for this sweet baby, her mama who I work with, and her dad & rest of the family. She has already been in the NICU for almost the first 2 months of her life and has a long road ahead of her!

You can read more about her and their specific needs here: http://stephandjody.blogspot.com/

Reunited and it feels so GOOD!

Well, we made it! Most of you don't know what we made because I didn't blog about it, but Colby just got back from a month of being at an away rotation in Detroit, Michigan. It was Aw. Ful. It was probably one of the hardest months of my life, no lie. I have no idea how those military wives do it. Seriously. You are my heros. I definitely had a few meltdowns, most after a stressful day at work or clinical, losing a patient,  and when I just really needed him, but thanks to prayers from many friends, God kept us both safe while we were apart. Part of the reason I didn't blog about it is b/c I really have no clue who reads this other than the few faithful friends that leave comments (Thanks!) but I still wanted to go back and record that it happened for us for when I'm complaining or whiny or upset by something little and can remember how much better it is to be together.

I can honestly say that life just wasn't as much fun without Colby being here. I had several comments from people like,  "What? You're depressed missing your husband? I'm depressed with my husband here." or "At least you get a break or time to yourself" or "You just haven't been married long enough."
Really? I don't get it. I don't even like it when Colby is on call at the hospital for ONE night.

Thankfully March was really one of the busiest months for me schoolwise, and although we wouldn't have seen each other a great deal if he were here, at least we would have gotten our usual brief evenings together. I told Colb looking back that I didn't even watch our shows that we usually watch b/c we watch them together. I ate a lot of hodge podge stuff over the month because I felt guilty cooking good stuff that Colb enjoys while he was eating hospital food, and cooking for one is harder. Weird I know, but I guess there's just something about the way that God blesses us in marriage and I needed to remind myself how grateful I am for my favorite red head. That he in fact does a whole lot more than I give him credit for and really just "our crazy routine" is a blessing that I don't need to complain about because, well, it's "ours." I think the thing I hated the most was that I couldn't take care of him. Of course I sent him with a laundry kit, bathroom kit, lots of extras, and make sure he'd pack everything he needed (with him rolling his eyes since he's a grown man), but I guess I didn't realize how much I identify with the role of a wife and how much I value it. Need to keep that in mind the next time I complain about cleaning my house, ha!

I will also say that there were some great moments about the distance with our quiet times with the Lord. He really used this time for us to both rely on Him and refocus us, as it's easy to loose a little of the individual growth when we're focused on each other. And it's easy to focus a lot more on your spouse than God, and this is not what we are called to do, although God created our spouses to help show us His love in a whole new way. I will try to focus on these for the future away rotations and lots of call that we have ahead of us. Also, Colby also got an amazing experience clinically and had a lot of insight into future career as well as a look at a great program. PS- Thank goodness to the person who invented Skype! Seriously, made computer dates so much better. Lastly, I wanted my single friends or away husband friends out there to know that I prayed for you a lot during this time and know that God will use this time period for blessings.

He had lots of snow and dreariness there, so was glad to come back to 85 degrees!

 This was his little room, that was literally a bed and a chair. But it was free, so we are grateful b/c not all of the places he will have to rotate will provide this.

Whenever we woke up the next morning, the first thing I did before we started the process of unpacking his 2 suitcases was plugged in some Jack Johnson and very fittingly this song. I was smiling ear to ear as I danced with my hubby in the living room with the blaring music.

Doesn't really matter what it is, just better when we're TOGETHER! Thank you Lord for the gift of him! 

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Colby and I had a fun time at the end of February attending the marriage conference (Crazy Little Thing Called Love) that our church put on for the Life Stage 2 couples. It was a lot of fun and great to spend time with other couples our age and many friends from our small group. It's really refreshing to sit back and take another perspective about your marriage and things to work on. Colby and I are coming up on 6 years, gulp, in May and although we're out of the "newlywed phase" I know there are still so many things that God has shown us that we can do to improve our marriage, and therefore our relationship as a couple with Him.

The conference was at the Gaylord Texan, which is a beautiful hotel and conference center.  Such a cool place! We wish we could have afforded to stay there with the rest of the conference, but just getting to go hear the sessions was great! Here we decided to pose on a balcony and pretend! :)

 Here we are cracking up at the effort it took to take this "pretend" Gaylord picture

 And here's the effort! HA! We love you David, our loyal door holder! Thanks for helping us make memories! :)

 So, I mentioned we couldn't stay at the Gaylord, but don't feel sorry for us, we did get to stay at the Hyatt! Whoohoo! I don't remember the last time we had a little getaway, so this was a rare treat. We did a last minute Priceline name your price bid and got to stay in Grapevine at the 4 star Hyatt for super cheap! Have you ever tried that? We never had, and it was a fun surprise! Especially since we would have had to drive back and forth with early hours. Thanks to the McHenrys for taking care of Rocky for us!

This bed was so comfy! We seriously looked at the mattress and wrote down the model number!

 

Yay Marriage Retreat!

 

 In between sessions, we got to walk around Grapevine Mainstreet, have lunch with friends at a precious bakery, and ooogle over all the cute shops.

 Paige and Briyana, love these sweet girls

Saturday night was supposed to be a fun date night out as a couple, but Colb and I came back home and spent time with a date night in of Rosa's and watching a movie. Just perfect and our type of date! Thank you Lord for blessing us with the gift of marriage!

Living on Less

This is a little different than most of my posts, but I really feel like I need to throw this out there. So a couple of weeks ago at church on our missions Sunday, we received a little bag of rice and beans as we were leaving church. Attached to it was a note with- "What if this is all you have to eat today?  1.4 billion people live on less than a $1.25 per day. What could you give up this week to live on less?" It linked to our church's website that listed facts about other countries, as well as tips for living on less.

 I opened it up when I got home and poured it out to see the tiniest amount of food. For the day? Really? Wow. And then I said, really God? Us live on less? You know how much "less" we live on right now. (said, as I grab my iphone and check up on facebook updates) Oh but Lord it's one of the very first generation iphones that runs slow, doesn't have video, etc. You know we support missions and tithe already Lord. And you know so and so who does X with their financial blessings are way more out of line that we are. Oh justification- sure does make us feel better, right?

I definitely felt a bout of conviction and just feeling "beat down" in general. There are so many times that I worry about our finances and complain on what we miss out on & no extras, etc. with Colby having negative income with lots of tuition, my grad school tuition and half-time nurses salary, bills, student loans building up, expensive medical bills and crummy insurance so that we avoid going to the Dr. while others are going for free, we don't have this or that, or wish we could afford such and such, yadda yadda yadda.  But do I really know what true hardship is? Could I really eat that tiny amount of rice and beans all day?

The answer is no. I don't know what it means. I can still stop through Sonic to grab a lime Dr. Pepper at happy hour and spend that $1.25 that those people live on in an instant. Am I saying that I need to sell everything we own or should I feel guilty for owning the things I do? No. But I should praise God more for each blessing He does give me and really question what I do "need."  Do I need to search harder for things that we really could give up to help others? Yes. And instead of saying "when we are financially stable and both have jobs, or when this changes then we will...."

Really, as I laid my head down on my soft pillow, in my warm bed I just felt led to post this because I need to confess my inmost insecurity of trusting God's provision. And why? Why is it that I still do this after He has shown me time after time that He will provide for us? He daily shows me that He is in control. Yet I become a worry-wart that flips out over littlest thing.

I know several people are in the same situation that we are, or is it just me? So my question is, how do you stay balanced between being able to give, knowing what and when to give, feeling secure in what you do have and not comparing yourself to others, and above all truly having a heart that praises God for each blessing?

I suppose it's a minute to minute challenge and something that I will need to constantly ask God for help with. So my question for myself and others, "What could you give up this week to live on less?"

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6: 25-27
www.ccbcfamily.org/liveonless

Eye-bulls

So, a couple of weekends ago, Colby attended an eye research conference. What is an eye research conference you ask? Well, it's something that's quite nerdy where a bunch of people from all over the country come to present and listen to research about, well, the eye. Retinal stem cells, glaucoma, yadda yadda. Anyhoo- Colby gave up one of his free weekends to attend this. Let me tell ya, the man's committed.

I know, you're waiting for the point and my corny post title. Well, part of his registration packet included a night out at Billy Bob's Texas, which if you don't know is one of the largest Honky Tonks in Texas. And this night included entrance fee, dinner, drinks, bull-riding, and a Miranda Lambert concert (that was sold out). So I say to the hubs, we're going right? And he says, no I need to study. Whaa?? You're telling me that you've been sitting all day long listening to research and then you're going to go study for the rest of the evening? Did I mention it was FREE? Boo... Well, I was not a happy camper, but it just added to the con column of the medical journey.

Well, a couple of hours into his studying, I tried again....are you SURE you don't want to just go and get dinner? eh? eh? And what do you know? He caved! Wife wins! But then he said, "if I fail my shelf exam, it's your fault." Ugh! Pray he didn't fail it, or I'm in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!
Anyhow, we got to pop into Billy Bobs for a couple of hours, ate dinner, saw a little bull-riding, then bee-lined out of there before the teenage girls crashed toward the stage. Sorry Miranda. Wish we could of danced, but just walking is a little difficult for me right now with my knee, so that was a bummer.
And what do you know, when we got home, he studied. Love him.

 Well it's bulls and blood, it's dust and mud...

 Hello cowboys

 This guy didn't wear a helmet-yikes!

 I always love the rodeo clowns