A Very Happy Anniversary!!!

3 years!!! I can't believe it!!! Where has time gone? Steven John, I am so in love with you - now more than ever. And I know that as time goes on, I will fall deeper still. I am grateful that as we are facing all the ups and downs of life, the trials and the triumphs, our love is growing stronger and more true. Thank you for being a truly wonderful and patient husband with me. You show me Jesus in so many ways. God has blessed me with you and I realize that a little more every day. You are fun, you are hilarious, you are sweet, you are thoughtful, you are kind, you are handsome and you are loving. I could go on and on... Most of all, you are my very best friend and I love you with my whole heart! Happy 3 Year Anniversary!

Little Miracle

As some of you may or may not know, my little sister Natalie and her boyfriend, Shawn Murphy are having a baby! The above ultrasound picture is when Natalie was about 10 weeks along. She will be starting her 16th week this Thursday, July 26th and the baby will be born sometime in January of 2008. Isn't the picture adorable? Normally I have a hard time deciphering what is what in an ultrasound picture, but I thought this one was so precious. I could absolutely make out the baby's head and little developing body. How precious! They do not know the sex of the baby yet, but will be making an appointment to find out at their next checkup on August 9th. I am going to be an Auntie! Natalie and Shawn both realize how special and precious this little life is and they are determined to raise their baby right. They know that they are going to need God's help to do so. Please pray for them as they will have some unique challenges (i.e. they are not going to rush into getting married so Natalie will still be living with our parents; Natalie will be continuing with school to earn her degree in Nursing and she will also continue working at the hospital as a Certified Nursing Assistant). I am proud of my sister and I'm proud of the tough, right decisions she has had to make since finding out she was pregnant; and I am proud of Shawn for being committed and determined to be a good dad to this little miracle of life. God is the Author of Life and only time will tell the AMAZING things that He has in store for this little one. I am so excited to find out! Jeremiah 19:11 "For I know the plans I have for you (Baby Murphy),” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

My First Pie (and I am NOT Betty Crocker!)

For those of you who really know me, I am not the most domesticated young lady in the world. I've never been extremely talented in the culinary arts, but lately I've wanted to tackle some things that I haven't really done before. I actually enjoy being in the kitchen baking and cooking, but I don't do it very often. This is usually because I work full time and at the end of a long work day, making a home cooked meal from scratch is the last thing I'm up for. But every once in a while, I really have a desire to do something fun and Martha Stewartish. :) Most recently, I've totally wanted to make a pie from scratch; and not just any pie, my hubby's favorite - Blackberry. The other day I bought a half flat of blackberries at the store and decided then and there that I was going to make a pie no matter what. I made the pie crust mixture on Thursday night, divided it in 2 parts and then left it in the fridge overnight since it was about 11 o'clock PM. The next day I rolled out the 2 portions of the pie crust and mixed together the blackberry filling (thank you, Betty Crocker cookbook!). I put the first half of the pie crust mixture in my pie plate and scooped in the blackberry filling. Then I put the second portion of the pie crust mixture over the top and sealed the two portions together and baked away! It turned out so much better than I could have hoped! I can't believe I am this excited about a pie, but it looked pretty and it tasted good!! What more could you ask for regarding your first pie? I took it to share at our church's family camp this last weekend and there was nothing left to bring home, so I think that was a good sign. Plus, my hubby loved it, which is what was most important to me since I made the pie for him in the first place. Here are some pics I took to commemorate the "first" in my life. :)

Lei and Max Come to Visit

So LeiLani has been after me for a while to post the pics that she took at my house when she and Max came to visit at the end of May. It was such a treat to have them both come to visit! The last time I saw Max he was only a month old, so seeing him at 9 months was amazing and so much fun. He is definitely LeiLani's son! He was extremely adorable and entertaining. And it was fun to see LeiLani in her element and so happy as a mom. She is a fantastic mother and I hope to be as fun as her someday when I have my own children. It was wonderful to see you, Lei and Max! Please come up again soon!!! Love you! See pics of our visit below:


Max and me. We had strawberries and Cool Whip down by the lake at my house and Max adored the Cool Whip. He had just managed to get both hands in it and put it all in his mouth right before this picture. It was hilarious!
Beautiful Baby!
All Tuckered Out. Beautiful Mommy!
Pic Lei took of the view out our dining room nook.

View out of our living room windows.
View of our lake from the deck.
Max down by the lake soaking up some sun. :)
More pics of our lake.
Cool shot Lei got from our lawn down by the lake looking up at our trees.

Me

Lei and Sleepy Head :)

Nail Salon (Anjelah Johnson)

For all you ladies who have ever gotten your nails done. :)

The Duck is Dead (Maverick playing at 2AM on his 1st morning with us.)

Maverick Discovers a "Dog" in the Mirror

Meet Maverick!

Okay, so I haven't been blogging recently because Steven and I have been busy being parents! :) That's right, we have our very own baby now! But before you get too excited, the "baby" is our new Jack Russell Terrier puppy, Maverick Griffey Hardebeck! Ever since Steven was a little boy, he has always wanted a Jack Russell and we've wanted to get one for some time now. This month we will celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, so we figured this would be a good time in our marriage to take on the responsibility of a puppy. We got Maverick from a breeder in South Carolina who has been amazingly informative and helpful. We picked him up at the airport at 1 AM (yes, 1 AM) on Saturday morning, June 23rd. The poor little guy was shaking like a leaf from his trip. But once we let him out of his crate on the grass outside, he started wagging his notched little tail and licking our hands to let us know he was so happy to meet us. We took him home with us and played with him for a while before finally getting to bed around 2:30 in the morning. We've had him for about a week and a half now and I must say that I am so proud of him. He is doing extremely well! He is very much like a little baby, which is good for us. Since all of our friends are having babies, we thought we would see how we do as the "parents" of a puppy. :) You should see my house, I have puppy toys all over my floor and his big wire crate with his bed in it in our bedroom. Very nice decor, I'm telling you.. But this little guy is so much fun! He is very sweet and laid-back (yes, a laid back Jack Russell). But he's still very playful and has a ton of personality. He loves his little stuffed animal duck and the other day he "killed" one of Steven's socks. He makes the cutest little squeeking noise when he yawns and he loves to cuddle. We've been taking him everywhere we can with us so that he really feels a part of our lives. We've even been getting up with him at night to take him out to go to the bathroom. The breeder let us know that if we want to potty train him right, that is what we'll need to do for the first month. At first he was getting up at 2:30 and 5:30 every morning. Now he is sleeping through the nights until about 5:00 or 5:30 every morning. Improvement! And on the 4th of July when most dogs freak out, he played all day with the other dogs and even slept through the big fireworks show on Lake Sawyer! He is amazing us! Some people were really nervous that we were getting a Jack Russell since they are so high-spirited, but we are committed to training him and paying him lots of attentions. Jack Russells want to be a part of your family, so that's what he is! And they LOVE the water, so with us owning a boat and living on a lake, he is the perfect dog. We are so blessed with him and just love him to pieces and want to share his adorableness with you! So... HERE'S MAVERICK!