Recipes, Showers, Learnings and Laughs

I don't have anything really poetic to say here, other than enjoy these life snapshots from the last two weeks! I'll come up with something wittier for the next post.

Stacy, Amy, Juli (and baby Jesus/Margarita), me, and Fiona at Juli's amazing shower thrown by Stacy. So blessed to be a part of this celebration! I love these women and they are such a huge part of who I am today. I'd like to thank Stacy and Juli in particular for helping me hone my sarcasm skills. Surely that's a great resume builder?

Learning to process each thought, even the painful ones. Changing my perspective on 'blessed are those who mourn' as I now see "mourning" as a means to wholeness and freedom. The book Supernatural Power of Forgiveness by Jason Vallotton has been incredible in this journey. 

Bethel gave us all prophetic words for Easter yesterday.  Which meant yesterday was probably the greatest Easter ever. I was consumed with the love of God and His presence, and wished I could have stayed in those moments forever. I also encountered God through hymns (and Kelly Smith) in a way that I've never experienced before.

Balsamic Flank Steak. AMAZING. Recipe adapted from  here. Really great for the Easter dinner crowd.

Ranch Roasted Potatoes = heaven. I even ate all the charred pieces because the flavor was so good. They also kept well over night surprisingly! Definitely an easy go-to side dish. And a weight watchers item as well! 

Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp. My happy place. These were easy peasy, and after marinating them for the afternoon, they took a grant total of 3 minutes on the grill. Recipe adapted from here. But I toyed with the recipe and just used honey, lime, and sweet chili sauce (which I could bathe in its so good). I brushed on a little extra sauce before serving. FAB. 

If honey lime shrimp is my food happy place, this is my beverage happy place. Mirko Sangria. Can't. Get. Enough.  I have to be extra careful when consuming said drink because of the chatty-ness in pulls out of me. But for $1 on Thursdays and $3 every other day, you just can't beat it. 

In my season of alone-ness (no I'm not being melodramatic), I have been taking Lucy on jogs every day. Not long ones, but enough for us both to stretch our legs and see the flowers. There is another black lab that she loves to visit, so I'm sure the neighbors think I'm a nutcase when I stand at the end of their driveway with Lucy waiting on her friend to come out. They romp around for a few minutes and then we're on our way. But if we don't stop at her bud's driveway, Lucy cries and cries. And of course, as all good moms should do, I stop to tend to her every need (infer sarcasm). In this case though, I do tend to this need. Because I see it as allowing her to release some energy and do some learning that doesn't have to be done on Bailey the cat. Because Bailey is not amused by Lucy's chasing and antics.

And in closing, I leave you with a few quotes from one of my dearest friends:

"I asked if there were viles of the west nile virus accessible. Thats me trying to have a Kingdom attitude about it."

"Mourn with those who mourn idiots!"

"Whitney Houston died." -Me

"What? How?" - Friend

"Hasn't been released yet." - Me

"This feels like 9/11." - Friend

"I don't want to shock you, but I'm sitting down to read the Bible. I may need an intervention."

"I just thought you would appreciate knowing that, as I was praying, I, in all seriousness, accidentally told God, 'Well, I'm the shit.' If heaven has an equivalent of coal for your stocking...I've got the most of whatever it is."

"I am SO excited about heaven for the open bar."

"I just texted your husband that I needed to start my period."
BE BLESSED MY FRIENDS. AND HAPPY MONDAY. PRAYING THAT YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF GOD TODAY IN A WHOLE NEW WAY, AND THAT YOU WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME. 
Love love.