Want a yummy, quick dinner idea?

Put some Ramen noodles in a pot of boiling water along with a LITTLE BIT of the flavoring....that's the part that is so unhealthy...super salty.  Throw in some frozen peas, bean sprouts, cooked chicken, tofu or shrimp.  Put in a bit of fresh pepper, basil or cilantro, some green onion, and voila! Super yummy, healthy soup/noodle dinner!

I just came up with this tonight...I've always secretly loved Ramen noodles and Cup O' Noodles...but I never eat it because it's so unhealthy with all that sodium....so I decided to only use like 1/4 teaspoon of the flavoring powder and add a bunch of other yummy, fresh ingredients instead...trust me, is you like Cup O' Noodles...you gotta try it this way!

This man...

Tonight when I got home, I was greeted by these beautiful roses (which smell fabulous!) and a sweet card in which Mark declares his love and pride for me and all I've accomplished in the last year with grad school and getting a job. I know that I've worked hard, but Mark has been supportive throughout having less time with me, giving up a double income for a while, and dealing with me being super stressed out. I can't believe it's all behind me now, and I do think about the fact that I'm finally done with school often...I reminisce about the crazy year and a half of working full time, then attending classes EVERY weekend and wonder how we're still married...

I love this man with all my heart, and I feel so blessed to have a husband that showers me with gestures of love on ordinary days. I mean, c'mon...look at that face! :)

So dissapointing...

So, first, I must start off this post with something positive...during one of my first-grade classes today, we somehow got on the subject of presidents. At one point, a boy named Alex said, "There used to be a woman president, a long time ago. Her name was Christopher Columbus." Hmm. Now, just let that brew for a moment. And now, don't you ALL wish you had my job?! Where else would you hear interesting facts like this on a daily, if not hourly, basis?

Okay, on to the dissapointing part. So, I had an appointment to get my hair highlighted (desperately needed) afterschool and was really excited because I had a long day and the salon I go to is amazing in that it's reasonably priced and my stylist gives amazing, long scalp massages. I was sad because my regular girl, Kristen, wasn't available for several weeks, but remembering my roots, literally, I went ahead and saw someone else. She did a okay job, but definately wasn't as creative with the color as my regular girl...and....get ready....no scalp massage. To make things worse, at the time I had made the appointment, I said I wanted to see someone that charged the same as Kristen, which is around $75. Today, I paid $125! I asked the receptionist about it, and she suggested I talk to the stylist who just cut my hair if I had a problem...yea right..."Hey, Terri? Um, yea, why would I pay you $125 for a 'sorta good' coloring job and absence of a scalp massage when I could get rad highlights and a scalp massage that almost has me passed out on the floor for $75?".

I didn't say anything.

I left...on the way home, knowing that Mark would be home late and I would be off the hook from cooking dinner, I decided to pick up teriaki. I walked in the door of my house, changed into sweats as fast as humanly possible, poured myself a glass of our new fav wine, Clos de Boir chardonnay, and sat on the couch with my styrofoam-clad dinner and plastic fork. I was ready. I opened my styrofoam container and, in an instant, the smile that was on my face turned into this:


The chicken was visibly dry and tasted awful. I picked at it and decided to give up. Sad, sad dinner. Sad, sad price for hair color...at least I had the first-graders. :)

As a side note, when I asked Mark to take a picture of me for this post...he looked at me like I had just pooped my pants and said, "ooooookaaaaay??" As he was trying to focus the camera, the frown I started with began to turn into the strange half frown-half smile you see above. Have you ever tried to frown when you're not mad while someone who doesn't understand WHY you're taking a "frown" picture is staring at you with a camera in your face? Also, I found it hard to frown while also keeping my double chin under control. Sigh.

A tour of our home...

Okay, well it's really a mini-tour. Anyone who has been here knows that this house goes on forever, which we love...but it also means the 60's decor also goes on FOREVER! We're really excited to make changes here over the years. But for now...our backyard looked so beautiful this morning, so I had to capture it.This is our dining room. The kitchen is on the other side of the cabinet, and we hope to knock down that wall to open things up a bit. We never use this room because it is kinda tucked away.
One of the bedrooms upstairs. The view from this room of the skyline and Seattle is beautiful, especially at night!
This is my office/craft room. Mark's office is downstairs and although it does have a great bay window that looks out onto the backyard, I think I got the better end of the deal, because this room has a deck off of it, and a gorgeous view!

This is the upstairs landing. I love this. It's so open and it makes it easy for Mark and I to yell at each other if we're on different floors and need something :)

This is the half of the living room that we use all the time. The other side houses the piano and a fireplace. I just love the big windows this room has. We hardly ever have to turn on lights in our house because there are so many windows- compared to the FOUR windows in our old condo!
This is Mark's office, and the source of much annoyance since we moved in. We finally bought a filing cabinet and I reached my goal of organizing this room (somewhat, anyway) which was something I was supposed to accomplish over Xmas break....oh well, it finally got done!
This is one of my favorite rooms. The beds are from Mark's grandma and really are cute in this room. The pitcher and bowl set is something we got as a wedding present from family in Italy. I always loved it, but never had a place for it in our tiny condo. Don't you love the carpet? All the carpet in this house is hidious and we hope to change it very soon! For now, we live with it and enjoy the space that we have.

Another year...

Well, today is my 27th birthday and instead of thinking about being closer to 30 than I was last year, the wrinkles that are starting to sneak their way onto my face, and my slowing metabolism...instead I'm looking at this day in a new light. I am SO grateful for this life the Lord has given me...He has blessed me more in these last 27 years than I ever thought was possible in a whole lifetime. Here are 27 things I am thankful for on my 27th birthday:

1. A healthy body and mind
2. A soul that is saved by the grace of God
3. A loving and attentive husband, who is so much fun- I always hoped that I would have a strong, studly man of God to walk this journey of life with- well, I got WAY more than I hoped for in Mark!
4. My awesome, insirpational brother, Aaron. He is so much fun and has the BEST laugh!
5. My parents- they love me so well and are my biggest fans in life.
6. Mark's parents- they inspire me every day.
7. Friends from many backgrounds- I always have someone to call who will listen to me blab! :)
8. Having the honor of knowing Toni Bukowski...one of the strongest women in my life and inspiration to reach for the stars.
9. Starbucks coffee
10. A good book
11. My home- stuck in the 60's, yes, but just like me, has potential. :)
12. A full-time teaching contract through June at a job that gets better every day.
13. Good neighbors
14. The view from my house
15. Dates with Mark
16. My Temperpedic mattress and pillow...seriously, no more sciatic pain for me!
17. No traffic on Sunday afternoons
18. A good bra!
19. The knowledge that I CAN make a difference in the future of our environment- it all comes down to my choice and follow-through. I'm getting better.
20. My students- they make me laugh and always seem to know when a hug or a sweaty cookie hiding in their pocket is all I need to brighten my day.
21. Music
22. Chocolate
23. My education
24. My sister-in-law Becca, who has been through so much in her life and never complains. She is a joy to be around.
25. My five senses- I take in so much every day and I can't imagine what I would do if I couldn't experience something 5 different ways.
26. Hot showers
27. My future. I used to be a very anxious person and suffered panic attacks-even to the point of going to the ER. I've been getting much better over the last year, but one night not too long ago, I was praying and I heard a special message from the Lord that I will share with you in person, but it has been very comforting and has enabled me to be able to look ahed with less fear and worry. What a blessing- the Lord DOES take care of my every need.

I look forward to what year "27" of my life brings!