Monday, June 28, 2010

A Joyous Occasion!

My little brother is engaged!!

It happened on Thursday night at my parent's house.  He asked Salem to marry him and she said yes!!  Benjamin and I received a phone call at 10:35 that night from the both of them which produced a lot of whooping and hollering all the way round!

Benjamin and I are super excited for little Noahy and Salem!  We couldn't be more thankful for the match that God put together.  They compliment each other super well and we have enjoyed having the privilege of watching their relationship grow over the past two years.

To Noah and Salem:  We love you both immensely and are busting at the seams with joy for you two!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Turkey Mango Panini

I love this sandwich.  It's a great combination of flavors that is great for a summer day!

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of lime juice
2 teaspoons of sour cream
Bacon
1 mango
Sourdough bread
Turkey
Ham (I know it says Turkey Panini...but it works great with ham too!)
Cheeses

Avocado Spread
Puree the avocado, garlic powder, salt, lime juice and sour cream together until it is a spreadable consistency.

While your panini grill is heating up, peel the mango and slice into thin pieces while the bacon is cooking.  Or, you can use the microwavable bacon too - tasty and quicker to make!

Assemble your panini
Each person creates their sandwich in unique ways.  Be sure to add cheese to make sure your sandwich sticks together during the heating process.  Add each ingredient to your preference!  You will need to spread olive oil on both sides of your bread in order for the bread to brown and be panini-ized!

Serve with chips and fruit!
Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Bolivia Preview

It's been over a week since Benjamin returned from Bolivia.  He is back in the swing of things with 4th year having started while he was away.  He hasn't had the time yet to edit all of his pictures or even to load the video footage he shot while in Quesimpuco.  Here are a few of my favorite ones as a preview to when we get them all uploaded for you to view at your own leisure!

This is how the team was greeted when they finally arrived to the village!

Benjamin administering a shot before pulling a tooth.

Getting presented with a traditional hat and scarf!  LOVE the hat!

This is the waiting area...and yes, that is a baby goat you see in her lap!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

ice is just right

Vintageites met at the Allen Event Center for some fun on the ice!  It was the first time that Benjamin and I had been to the ice skating rink together ever.  I was amazed at his awesome skating skills and was even able to keep up most of the time.  I really enjoy ice skating and often forget how fun it is!  The price for the evening was not bad - I think for both the rental and the skating for the two of us it was about $20.

Before heading out for the event, Benjamin and I stopped at Mooyah to try them out.  It was delicious!  They have a system quite like Wich Wich where you mark your burger and toppings on a sheet to speed up order placement.  Their fry portion was quite generous and their strawberry milkshake is heavenly!  I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place one step up from fast food but not quite fancy sit down dinner.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Coming Home!

Today my sweet husband comes home from Bolivia!  I am so looking forward to seeing his face and hearing about his adventures in Quesimpuco!  When I spoke with him yesterday, he was wiped out from site seeing in La Paz.  They had a tour hour tour of the 500 year old church in the city and spent the afternoon shopping with some of the team members.

He is currently on a flight from La Paz to Miami.  Then he has quite a lengthly layover in Miami before he takes the flight to Houston.  If everything goes on schedule today, he will be at the airport at 11:35 tonight!  Hooray! 

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for him and the team!  I will let everyone know how the trip went once we catch up with one another!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

To Quesimpuco!

Even before Benjamin started dental school, the idea of going on a dental mission trip has been swimming around in his head.  This summer, God provided an opportunity for him to go with a group from the Health Science Center and an organization called SIFAT.  Along with three others from the dental school, he will be traveling with med students, pharmacy students, rural health students and a modge podge of administrators and missionaries.  A group of 24 folks were selected to serve the people of Quesimpuco, Bolivia.  Quesimpuco is at 13,000 feet in the Andes mountains.  It's supposed to be in the 60s during the day and the low 30s at night.  Silly me, I kept forgetting that it was winter there - so much so that I made Benjamin buy a pair of hiking sandals in case his feet got too warm!  

Friday was departure day.  We drove to Houston Thursday night so that Benjamin have a good night rest and not have to worry about anything going wonky on Friday if we drove in from Houston.  Friday morning we had breakfast with Nancy and Bryan.  I was very thankful that Benjamin was able to see them before he left!

Kim and Jonathan arrived at Mom's just as we were packing up the car to head to the airport.  The three of them arrived at the airport precisely at 3!  Saying goodbye was a little hectic, as we had figured, which made me even more thankful for the time we had together that afternoon.  My heart was sad to see Benjamin go, yet so excited for the journey he was embarking on!  

This is Benjamin all ready to go!  Yes, my awesome packing skills fit everything he needed for his 10 day trip in that bag on his back.  Three pair of shoes, scrubs, jeans, toiletries, towel, food, socks, underwear, jackets, plates/cup/cutlery.... the list goes on and on!


During the day I received text updates on their flights - and a few phone calls in between.  Their connecting flight from Miami to La Paz left about 1.5 hours late, putting them in La Paz at 7:30 am CST.

Saturday morning, I received a call from Benjamin saying that they made it, they were safe, and that they were heading to the jeeps.  Throughout the day I received a few texts: they made it to the market, they were back on the road, that he was feeling fine, even with the high altitude.  The last one I received said that they were due into Quesimpuco last night at 10pm.  They would still have to unload, greet the village leaders and set up their beds for the night.

Today was the first day of clinics.  The first day for Benjamin to serve the Quechuan people.  The first day to put to use the skills he has learned in the past three years to make a change in a life outside of the Baylor clinic.  Today was the first day that Benjamin and I have gone without any form of communication in years.  I cannot even begin to imagine the excitement, the anxiety, and the joy of what he has done today!  I cannot wait to hear the stories that he will come home with!

Here is Benjamin's schedule for the next days:

June 6-9th
They will eat breakfast and start clinics by 8:30am.  They have a break from noon until 1p for lunch and then back to the clinic until 6.  Then dinner and lights out by 10p.

June 10th
This day they will be breaking down the clinics in the morning.  That afternoon they will tour Quesimpuco and have a shopping day at their market.  The jeeps will be packed with the left over supplies for an early departure the next day.

June 11th
The team will wake up at 3 am to head to La Paz.  They should arrive in La Paz about 4:30 that afternoon with no other plans scheduled.  Benjamin did say that he will be looking forward to having his first hot shower in 8 days!

June 12th
Market and tourist day in La Paz!

June 13th
The team starts the journey back to Miami and then to Houston!

Quesimpuco is the same as Eastern Standard Time.

Dear friends, my hope is that as you read this you will be moved to pray for Benjamin, the entire team and the people of Quesimpuco, that you would intercede on their behalf for the next 7 days.  A few things that I would ask you to pray for are:
  • Safety for the team as well as the Quechuan people.  Some have far to travel to get to the clinics for the help that they need.
  • Wisdom for the village leader as well as the team.  That the team would be confident in the decisions being made in regards to the health of those that they will be treating.
  • Warmth and sweet rest for the team that they would be refreshed anew every morning.
  • For the team members that they would have peace in knowing that God has them in Quesimpuco for a specific purpose.  
  • That the people of Quesimpuco see God in every action and in every smile that the team gives to them.
I will post updates when I hear anything from the team or Benjamin.  Oh, and I know I have mentioned before how Benjamin loves technology and everything that goes along with it....  well, he is armed with a digital camera and his video camera so we will have plenty to post when he gets home!

vera vauge earring winner!

Thanks to random.org for picking today's winner for the Vera Vauge earrings!

Hooray Number 6!

Congratulations to Christine!!

We will have another fun give-a-way in a few weeks, so be sure to check back!  Thank to everyone who entered!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Happy Saturday!


Yup.  No words for this one!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

what a week!

This past week has been a bit of a whirl wind for Benjamin and I!  We both have been hermits lately enjoying our time together in the evenings with the LuPuppy.

Last week Benjamin was in College Station for a few nights for Student Government.  As he was on his way back into town on Friday, I was in the car headed toward Mequite for a wedding rehearsal.  Friends Stephanie and Stephen were getting married and asked me to be apart of the their special day.  Saturday we both attended the wedding and reception then boogied back to Plano.  We met Mark and Lee Ann at Chuy's for dinner that evening.  We had not seen Lee Ann in almost two years, so it was fantastic to be able to catch up with them and hear about the fantastic changes going on in their world.  Mark took a job in Houston which basically means we will see them more often....as soon as we get back to Houston!

Sunday we went to ABF and Big Church stopping at WichWhich on our way home.  In the afternoon we played games with Kim and Jonathan - the couple traveling to Bolivia with Benjamin.  I was introduced to two new games:  Blokus and Settlers.  Both of these games have been added to the Christmas list.  If you haven't played them, you should find a friend who has the game, play them and then go buy them.  That's how great they are.

Monday was Memorial which equated to sleeping in, having breakfast out, making a Target run.  The afternoon was a lazy one.  We set up the kiddie pool so that Lulu and I could lounge around in the water.  That evening we went to Twisted Root with Danny and Leesa for a burger and their amazing fried pickles.  Never tried them?  You should.  Right now.  Go to the nearest Twisted Root and get some along with a root beer and a milk shake.

Tuesday Benjamin drove to Waco to take his GRE and then back to Dallas to meet me, Kody and Andrea at Music Hall to watch Wicked!  I just love that musical!  Everything about it is entertaining - the costumes, the music, the dialogue!  ....I could watch it over and over and never get bored.

Wednesday involved packing, playing Mario Galaxy 2 and eating a home made meal of Round Steak and Rice.

Today Benjamin is going to load up the car, pick me up from work and we will start the 4 hour journey south to the parent's house.  Tomorrow I will take him to the airport for him to start his 10 day adventure in Quesimpuco, Bolivia.  While I am a sad that he won't be around for the next week and a half, I am so excited that he has this opportunity to serve the people there while being Jesus to those he meets and travels with.  I will post his itinerary this weekend so that you can track him in his journeys.

Hope that each of you had a fantastic week so far!  I am always so thankful when weeks are short!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Spicy Chicken!

Today was the day that I was able to try Chick-fil-a's new Spicy Chicken Sandwich!  Andrew, Loriane, Benjamin and I ate had our reservations at the Collin Creek Mall.  When we stood in line we all received coupons for a free order of medium fries and a free medium drink!

Jackpot!!

The sandwich was really tasty!  It had the normal pickles as well a pepperjack cheese!  While I enjoyed trying it out and getting to have the experience, I will probably stick with the original chicken sandwich. 

While we were chatting it up, we were also offered free samples of their peach milkshake!  Could this lunch get any better?! 

"This sandwich is so spicy, Mr Cow had to dress up like a firefighter to put the hot out!"
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