My Secret Indulgence

Okay, I'm coming super clean with this.

I am addicted to the Twilight series. *GASP*

It all began this summer when my very practical sister, Kari, told me that she was reading Twilight. She said that she really thought I'd like it. I figured that since she's one of my closest I'd give it a shot, even though the whole vampire thing has never appealed to me at all. But it was summer and I needed some good beach reading material. Plus, I'd seen the movie and it was pretty good.... so why not?

Little did I know how completely in love I would fall with this series. I am almost embarrassed to admit it. I read the whole series in less than 3 weeks. And my kids are now very familiar with all the Disney movies we own because of it.

So how far exactly has it gone??

Yes, I have already bought my ticket for the opening midnight showing of New Moon on November 19th (technically the 20th) where I will stand in line with my Twilight girls....and a bunch of tweens.

Yes, we are all wearing our "Team Edward" shirts (3 of us will be wearing our maternity Team Edward shirts....cause that's just how we roll).

Yes, we are in the process of planning a New Moon party which we will attend prior to the movie (pics will be posted). Games, trivia, Twilight Saga talk, here we come!

Yes, there has been talk of a girls trip to Forks, La Push, Port Angeles and possibly Seattle during a Twilight convention.

Don't judge.

Megan's Engaged!

My baby sister, Megan, is getting married!!!

Meg is one of my favorite gals and I am so happy for her and her husband-to-be, Bryan!

Here Meg and I are the night of the proposal. We had it all worked out weeks prior to this night. She had no idea!

Me & Meg about an hour before...

Sisters!! Kari and I had it all planned out...

The proposal!!!

She said YES!!

Flashing the bling! So pretty!

The happy couple.

Meg and Bryan are getting married October 25th...THIS October 25th! She is so DANG lucky that she has a Wedding Planner for a sister! :) She's actually planned almost everything on her own and its going to be beautiful! I love fall weddings!

Hello October!

I LOVE October!

I love fall! I love driving up to Julian to see the leaves changing on the trees (because I live in SD and you just don't see that here) and of course for their famous apple pie. I love breaking out my fall decorations (which would have been up already had it not been for our upcoming move). And I LOVE my pumpkin spice lattes from Starbuck's. mmmmm.

But this month is going to be crazy!

We have a new house to paint starting on the 11th (do you like to paint? We're having a painting party ya know...), we move in on the 17th (do you like heavy labor? Free pizza for all!), I have 2 weddings (one of which I am in) on the 25th and the 30th, and of course trick or treating with the kids and our friends and all their kids the 31st. This is on top of homeschooling, field trips, consults with brides, leading a Bible study, and life in general.

Times like these I wish I were rich and could hire someone to help. Just to cook meals, run errands, clean my house, walk the dog, etc.

Pray I survive October! :)

************

I have been meditating on this verse all week:

"If you enter your place of worship and are about to make an offering, but you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God" (Matthew 5:23-24 Msg)

*************

In our couples small group there are 3 of us that are preg right now! Its so fun! We are all due around the same time and we're all having GIRLS!

These are also my Twilight girls (minus Jeannie). That is a whole different post, but yes, we're obsessed like 15 year old teens.

*************

Happy October!!!

Wordless Wednesday

5 1/2 months pregnant with #3!

Home Update

We closed on our house this past Wednesday and we are officially homeowners!

YAYAYAYAYA!

We are so excited and feel so blessed that we found a home that meets our needs! Everything went smoothly and our realtor and lender both said this was the easiest deal they've closed in months.

The sellers will rent from us until October 10th and then Mark and I (with the help of awesome friends and family) will spend that week painting, doing some demo on a few things, and new carpet and window treatments will be installed. We'll move in the following weekend.

I know I keep calling this a "God thing", but here's one more thing that just added to the sweetness of this entire process:

Mark and I began dating on October 17th, 1997 and every year since have celebrated our "anniversary" on that day, even after we got married (in addition to our wedding anniversary, of course).

This year we'll be moving into our first home on October 17th! What a great way to celebrate! :)

Have a happy Monday!

-Alison

Everything

This is who I am. This is what I believe. I am unashamed.

I have never been more sure of this than now.

Our First NFL Game!

Mark and I went to our first NFL game on September 5th!  It was so different than what we expected.  The Chargers were playing the 49ers (our team vs. our childhood team) and it was very cool to see a live game.  I won't lie, being packed in the trolley butt to belly was miserable and ALL the people everywhere totally took me out of my comfort zone.  But it was a good experience and we had great seats!

5 months pregnant here!

Reminded me of all the high school football games we enjoyed together.  Except I was in a really cute band uniform! :)

Seaport Village

Seaport Village is one of our favorite places to hang out!  The kids love seeing the boats on the water and there is always something exciting going on.  Mark and I love the atmosphere and the live music.  We try to get out there once a month or so and here is a recent visit at the end of August.

Almost 5 months pregnant above (8/30/09).

Emma loves Seaport Village for two reasons: #1. The merry-go-round

And #2. The frozen yogurt.  Brody's first time trying frozen yogurt!  He loved it!

Giving kisses is one of Bro's favorite things!  :)

Stuff

Of course I woke up with the events of September 11, 2001 on my mind this morning.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by such a tragedy.

I will always remember my friend Chaundra (roommate at the time) waking me up to tell me what happened.  The rest of the day was filled with confusion, tears, cigarettes (yes, we smoked back then...stupid college kids) and ABC newscasters.  School was closed for nearly a week and I remember our city of Fresno being in a daze, as all the country was.

************

Today I am more thankful for my friends than I think I ever have been.  True friendship is such a gift.  I am appreciative of the reminder.

************

Our friends John and Taryn had us over for dinner on Monday.  We love them and love spending time with them and their sweet Carson.  Its always a good time.  Besides our pre-dinner stroll on the beach where we stumbled across clam poachers (biggest clams I have EVER seen btw), the highlight of the evening was John's homemade nectarine cobbler.

I have been thinking about it daily since.  It was SO GOOD!!!  

John passed on the recipe to me and I will pass it on to you:

Nectarine Cobbler

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 5 c Nectarines, sliced
• 1 c Sugar
• 2 Egg yolks, beaten
• Cinnamon, topping-
• 1 c Flour
• 1 1/4 ts Baking powder
• 6 tb Sugar
• 1/4 ts Salt
• 6 tb Butter
• 1/2 c Milk
• 2 Egg whites, beaten stiff

INSTRUCTIONS

Toss fruit with sugar, stir in yolks and turn into a buttered 8x8" pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and toss lightly to mix. With a pastry blender, cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly. Add milk, stirring until smooth, then lightly fold in egg whites. Spoon over fruit. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown and crusty. 

Have a great weekend!!! :)

Homeschooling Update

Many friends and family have asked how we're enjoying homeschooling and so I thought I'd post a quick update.

We are now on week 5.  Its been exciting, trying, and challenging.  We love it.  

I am so thankful that we school from home, are done by lunchtime on most days, and have the whole afternoon to play, explore, rest, visit with friends, etc.  I love spending this time with Emma.  We have so much fun and I'll be honest, she's not the only one learning here.  And I'm not talking about the curriculum (although it has been a good refresher!).  I am learning so much about myself as a woman and mother.  No one is more surprised than me that this is the course our lives have taken and I am loving my roles!  

Emma is thriving and learning so much (this week we learned about the Vikings!) and seeing her growth first-hand has been so rewarding!  Her strongest subjects right now are reading, math, and Bible.  She really enjoys science, especially the projects which we do on Thursdays, and Language Arts.  I foresee us homeschooling for years to come.  

Thanks to our families and friends for the support and encouragement!  We really appreciate it. :)