He got the job!!!!!!!!

I'm SO happy for him. Bryan is so excited. This is a top notch place, and he'll do really well in it. He actually will start on salad prep, coldside/sandwiches an 'at, but after they see what he can cook he'll go up on the line, I'm sure!!! He made up a meatloaf recipe yesterday, and it was really good. The sauce on top was made of ketchup, brown sugar, and chili. MMMM. Yes, I'm lucky to be married to a chef! I did make my parmesan oven fried chicken the other day, though, along with Aunt Donna's recipe for sweet green beans. They were a hit. I may never be up to Mamaw stature when it comes to cooking, but I'm improving.

Bryan, though, b/c of school and of the MANY cooking magazines he's read and programs he's watched, i.e. Molto Mario and Iron Chef, has no limit to his cooking talent. It's fun to be the wife and sing his praises!

Oh, and for those who want to see where he's going to work, here's the website. Those who are close to Pittsburgh, i.e. the Haughs ^_^ should take a day trip to Pittsburgh, do some good shopping, and finish up with a good meal at Eleven. Don't know yet, but maybe we can get a family discount!

Love to all!!!

http://www.bigburrito.com/eleven/about/reviews.shtml

Snow, Dog Training, and American Idol

So pretty!! Stryker LOVES snow. He tries to eat the flakes as they fall down from heaven. Snow must come from there--so pure, white, and fresh. Doesn't get dirty until it touches our atmosphere! I'm enjoying the snow, although I'm having to get used to the cold. The snow's really pretty. It snowed all day.
Dog training is getting better and better. Stryker will be 2 in 2 months. He's old enough to start knowing what to do and what NOT to do, i.e. mark his territory upstairs or any other place in the house, and yet he's also young enough to learn better ways of walking. We have to train ourselves, too. My short arms make it difficult to walk him, holding the leash the way I'm supposed to hold it, but I'm learning. It's easier to guide him this way. We've been watching this show called "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel, and we've been learning what we've been doing right--and WRONG. It's all good--we'll get trained enough to walk him calmly past all the dogs, including this tiny little terrier who loves to get Stryker all riled up. The Dog Whisperer's cool b/c he goes to people's houses when they have trouble with their dogs--either they're too crazy or vicious, or they just won't listen to the owners, and then TDW trains them. Pretty interesting. Bryan especially loves it b/c he is really into dogs, different breeds, how they were bred, etc. He's as happy as a little puppy himself. ^_^
American Idol is always entertaining during the first couple of episodes. You hear the amazing and the horrible voices, and everybody says the same thing, "I can do better than that! How did they get on the show??" And yet, everybody knows that if we didn't have those horrible people that think they sing like (name favorite talented singer here) the show wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.
Well, hope you get to enjoy one or all three of these. Love to all! ^_^

The movie quote book

Have to thank Pete Vann for this idea. I saw Pete's my freshman year at Harding, and I thought it was the coolest idea. I never did it before, but now when I watch a movie, I hear something meaningful or just funny and part of what makes the movie that movie, and I have a scrap of paper nearby and a pen, I jump up and write it down. Much better is when I have the book nearby--usually do--always carry it in my purse. Eventually, when I write enough quotes down, I'll have to transfer it into a big HUGE book like Pete's. For now, the tiny little notebook will suffice. Some of them are encouraging:

"Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around." ~Sofia, "Vanilla Sky"

"Do or do not. There is no try." ~Yoda, "Empire Strikes Back"

"It's only after we've lost everything that we are free to do anything." ~Tyler Durgin, "Fight Club"

"When life gets you down, just keep swimming! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" ~Dori, "Finding Nemo"

Some of them are difficult to hear but real, and some simply affect us deeply:

"Harboring resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." (Don't remember what this one is from, but it's true.)

"Easy doesn't enter into grown-up life."~Dave Spritz, "The Weatherman"

"You wanna take a break...now? You take a break you'll find no peace. The way to find peace is to stick." "American History X"

"Sometimes to throw a punch, you have to step back. Step back too far, you're not fighting at all." ~Scrap, "Million Dollar Baby"

Some are just fun!

"You gotta eat lightning and crap thunder!" ~Mickey, "Rocky II"

"I don't want my wings cut!" ~Horace, followed by, "No man does, Horace, no man does." ~Dolly Levi, "Hello, Dolly!"

"90% of the people in the world are fools and the rest of us are in great danger of contamination." ~Horace, "Hello, Dolly!"

"Bueller? Bueller?" ~Come on, need I say more???

"Thank goodness men die young. It's the only justification we get!" ~Zoe, "Something's Gotta Give"

"That's right, who's your daddy!" "Wayne Rink!" ~ "Thirteen Going on 30"

Hope you enjoyed!!!

Yea for Bryan!!

Okay, for those of you who didn't know--I think that's everyone except my mom--Bryan had an interview. It went well! Like all interviews, this one made him a little nervous, but he went in and said all the right things, and on Wednesday he will cook all the right things!! It's a "cooking" interview--so they can size up his ability in cooking, etc. Whee-hoo! Anyway, this will be cool. This is exactly the kind of place where Bryan wants to work--really nice food, not just the plain boring stuff that lotsa restaurants like to display.

It's so funny how different we are when it comes to food. I don't mind eating P&J with a side of chips for days, but he likes more variety in his food. I like it too, but I don't care as much if I don't get the variety. He's taught me how to make a few new things. He even taught me how to eat pasta w/o meat sauce or a rich alfredo sauce. I like it cooked in simply olive oil and butter and garlic! So nice to find the differences in people and find out how to let them enrich our lives.

Okay--homework assignment from a future MFT counselor. Those who are married, go home to your spouses and tell them something amazing about them--something completely different from yourself, and have them do the same. Not married, do that with one of your friends. Either way, see how it bonds you closer together. And speaking of MFT, I have to send out my character references and have them come back and I will be one step further in applying to grad school! Wish me luck!! Love to all, K ^_^

PS--The picture is to encourage people to dream big. God loves us all and will help us through anything.

You are approved...

for a loan, for a credit card, for a mate, for a job, whatever you want approval for, those are beautiful words. Although there is a meekness implied, meaning you are at the mercy of whoever you need to approve you, there is a sweetness in being approved by that person or thing. I heard a commercial today talking about how a certain company would always approve a person, regardless of his credit. Sound familiar? How many of us have good credit with God? What can we do that gives us good credit with God? Do we really have that power? We are at the mercy of a God, who thankfully, loves us unconditionally and is always willing to approve of us, regardless of our credit. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Who do we think needs our approval? Are we being as merciful to them as God is to us? We do NOTHING worth of God's approval. No matter what good we do, we do bad, and if it were not for God, we would have no hope of being saved. Just wanted to be grateful for God's mercy today. God is beautiful and always approves, despite our credit.

and here's the sunset...

Pictures from Rome...mmmm ^_^

Be it ever so humble...

There's no place like home! It was great. Bryan and I took the train to Rome January 3rd so that we'd be in Rome the next morning to take off for Philadelphia, and then switch to go to Pittsburgh. Rome had some really nice spots. We stayed at this place that had the most GORGEOUS view of the ocean. Wow, was it beautiful. We climbed along the rocks and watched the sunset--yes, I was in heaven watching the beautiful skies turn different colors. When I see something that gorgeous, I think of devotional songs or occasionally older hymns. I thought of "His Grace Reaches Me" and "Beyond the Sunset." Don't we all wish that being Christians meant we could always be peaceful feelings and dreaming of heaven? There are hard times that happen and at the time, we feel like nothing will get us out of those trials, and yet they make us deeply appreciate the times of peace. God is beautiful. He allows us to go through trials, yes, but God is beautiful just the same, and He's unchanging.

Now, there were moments in Italy where people took advantage of us being American tourists and took advantage of us--monetarily. To that, I say, people going to Europe, do your homework. Find places in those lovely Rick Steves travel guides b/c they really know what they're talking about!!!! They will also save you from paying too much! Anyway, the next morning we took off for the airport, got through all the lines, eventually got on the plane, and we sang, "Hallelujah!!" We love Italy and were so glad that we were there--I advise anybody who can to go to Italy and have a beautiful time--but with all the hassle with Bryan's medicine we were ready to come home and not worry about Bryan's health as much.

One of the nice things about international flights is that they have personal TVs. You can watch movies, listen to music, basically whatever you want. It's also a nice time to watch a movie you don't want to see in the theater. I hadn't really wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in the theater b/c it wasn't worth it to pay $7 for a ticket, so it was perfect to watch on the plane. I actually liked it much more than I thought I would, and now I have to see the 3rd. Anyway, after it ended I figured I'd watch another one. 15 minutes in, the captain came over the loud speaker and said that there were complications with the navigation system, and so for the safety of everybody on board, the entertainment system would be off for the remainder of the time. Yeah, that's 8 more hours of BOREDOM!!!! Oh, well, better to know we'll get home safely, right? Bryan started making jokes like, Well at least if we;re going to crash, can we watch a movie while doing so? HA.

anyway, we got to Philadelphia, had 5 more hours to kill before our flight to Pittsburgh, so we walked around and just toured the place. It was great. Let me tell you--it was GREAT to arrive in Pittsburgh!!! The way I am, once I'm on the way home, I just want to GET THERE. It was great when we went outside and saw Donna--Bryan's mom--pulling up to pick us up. Whee-hoo!!!! She brought us back and we had dinner and just sat around talking together. Isn't family precious? I sure miss mine, but it was nice to share with Bryan.

Yea, we're home, and now the big thing is to get jobs here and be successful. ^_^ Easy, right? Bryan's getting interviews at random restaurants--really nice ones--and I applied for Geneva College today. I hope I get in!!! Love to all!!! Appreciate time with family!!!