And the greatest of these is Love

I am going to be hearing that verse a lot over the next few months. I'm 26. Almost 27 (eek!).  So as you can imagine, I'm right in that sweet spot in life where A LOT of my friends are getting married, and some are even starting families and having babies.  Case in point, this year, between June and the end of the year alone, I have 8 weddings that I have been invited to attend. Only two of these overlap.  I'm exhausted even thinking about it.  And so is my bank account.

Now don't misunderstand, I am so appreciative and excited that all of these friends have asked me to share in their special day with them! But as any other single person (or married person for that matter) can tell you, it gets to be a lot between the bridal showers, bachelorettes, gifts, etc. not to mention if you're actually an attendant in any of them! And furthermore, as someone who isn't married, it can be a little difficult to really get into the celebration when you yourself aren't even close to having this celebration of your own.

I'm only one in for the year - 7 more to go - but I've already decided that this can't be an excuse for a pity party.  Despite where I am in my life, I can be ecstatic for my friends that have found that person to share the rest of their lives with.  And I think I found a way to balance both my excitement for the bridge and groom with the faith that someday I will be in their shoes as well.

Sitting in Bible Study this morning and thinking about all of this, I remembered something my friend Nicole said in her blog before (See Sean and Nicole at the right!).  She mentioned picking a couple a week from their church small group I believe, that she and her husband could pray for.  That got me thinking, why couldn't I do that for those couples this year that I will see tie the knot?  So I've decided that instead of stressing about all of the weddings and what that means for me, I am going to turn my energy to spending a week per couple praying for them and their new marriage and asking that God not only watch over them, but allow them to be an example to those around them of a loving, Christian marriage. I am so thankful for these people in my life that I think it's the very least I could do.

I'm not writing this to say "hey look what I'm doing" or looking for a pat on the back, but truly I want to invite all of you to join me in praying for any couples in your life that are tying the knot during this busy wedding season. Although any of us benefit from prayer at any point in our lives, I think praying for them at this very special time in their lives is especially important.  They are joining their lives together and doing so under quite a bit of pressure considering how much planning and expense today's weddings seem to be accompanied by.  So no matter where you are in your life, think of these special people whose lives are changing before our very eyes this year and ask for God's continued guidance in their marriage and their relationship with Him.

Meanwhile...

Time for a catch up post!  There is no excuse for having not written in this long, so I won't make one, but I will let you in on what I have been up to lately since I obviously haven't been blogging!

February:
In February I began training for the Lincoln Half Marathon.  It started out slow but I soon got into a rhythm and genuinely enjoying my training runs!  That is until....

March:
Training continued but about the second week in March I came down with an awful cold which then set up shop in my lungs.  As you can imagine, this made running a tad more difficult!  I was out of commission for a good three weeks and had to really work hard to even get back into training even though there was no way I was going to just pick up where I left off.  As a result I probably cut my training short a bit, not getting the long 12 mile run in before the Half but I did get the 10 miler in.

April:
This month was unbelievably busy between wrapping up the semester with the sorority chapter I advise, finishing my training once I was able to, a busy budget season at work, and a multitude of other activities. Before I knew it, May was here and the Half Marathon along with it!

May:
On May 6th I completed my first Half Marathon!  The day started out a little formidable when I woke at 5am to a massive thunderstorm hovering over Lincoln.  Sure enough however, by the time we drove down to the start, it had started to clear and the humidity fell and it actually ended up being an amazing day for the race! I did have to walk a little and didn't get the greatest time but I was delighted to finish!

Mom and I after my 2:47:55 finish!

With my cousin Jamie - one of my many inspirations to run the Lincoln Half - after stuffing ourselves silly post-race at Fireworks

June:
In June I basically fell off the running wagon between various trips, a wedding, house guests and everything else.  I did however get an awesome visit with my sister and her family at our Grandparents in Colorado.  Including my handsome nephew.
I also had the privilege of taking seven of my collegiate members of my sorority chapter here on campus to our national convention in Denver.  It was a phenomenal experience and I am so proud of the women who represented our chapter!

So that brings us to July and a torrent of wedding activity - more on that later! It's so hard to believe that 2012 is half over already - it will be Christmas before we know it - especially since Hobby Lobby already has Christmas decorations out (not kidding!).

Perspective

Sometimes it catches me by surprise just how great God is and how flawlessly He teaches His children in everyday moments.

This morning I was both honored and excited to spend some time with my dear friend Amanda and her mother as Amanda tried on her wedding gown for the first time.  I knew it would be a fun appointment and would be very special to her and her mother.  You see, Amanda's mom is battling breast cancer for the second time.  With Amanda's wedding coming up this Summer and Amanda's brother and his wife expecting the first grandchild in May - she's got a lot to fight for! But despite everything she's faced with, she has the most remarkable attitude that I've ever experienced.  Both she and Amanda made the most of today and do exactly that every single day.  I was blessed to witness just a small piece of that today and I left that bridal shop feeling nothing short of convicted.

There are many days that I spend upset, discouraged, angry, for one reason or another and I struggle daily to keep perspective and to stay positive.  And for what reason?  Because I had a bad day?  I'm unsure of a decision I've made? Truly these things are of no consequence in comparison to the challenges that people like Amanda's mom, or those that have lost jobs in the economic downturn, or those in third world countries who only want clean water face each and every day.

So with this newfound perspective, there are a couple realizations I've had.  And maybe they're things you've heard before - I know I have heard some of them before - but I'm beginning to understand them further.

Love more.

Love when it's not deserved, not asked for, and even when it's not returned.  Love anyway.  You and those you love will always be better off if you follow that rule.

It's easy to say if you don't like where you are - change it. But in the world and the economy we live in today, it's not always that easy.  So change it if you can, prayerfully consider it first and if you can't change it now, be grateful that you have been provided the time to gradually get where you need to be.  Not everyone is that lucky.

Today was an important day for Amanda and her mom.  And it was an honor to spend time with them, and even more of an honor to learn from and be inspired by them.

You are the Cheese to my Gnocchi....

Um, what?  Yes I know, doesn't quite have the same ring as Juno's "You are the Cheese to my Macaroni" but let me tell you, it is quite possibly one of the best things I have ever made and definitely one of the best that I have eaten!

I introduce to you Gnocchi Mac & Cheese!

I first discovered this recipe on Pinterest (LOVE Pinterest!) and then followed the links back to the Noble Pig which is the food blog of Noble Pig Vineyard and Winery.  It has some amazing recipes and I will definitely be visiting this site again!!  

This recipe was actually super easy!  I didn't make my own homemade gnocchi (someday!) but it was still amazing with the store bought kind.  I also omitted the basil because I didn't have any on hand but I'm sure it would add a little extra color.  When I took it out of the oven I could hardly wait to bite into the golden, gooey amazingness  - and let me tell you - I was NOT disappointed!  It was seriously good. I ate this as a meal in itself but I think it would make a great side too!  I had it on a cold and blustery day here in Lincoln and with a yummy Chardonnay that I hope to review soon.  

Here's the recipe! Enjoy and let me know if you try it out!!  

Noble Pig Gnocchi Mac & Cheese (originally from Cuisine at Home)

1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi

2 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

Salt and white pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375^o F.  Prepare gnocchi according to package directions.  Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon.  Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. 

Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful.  Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.  

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.  Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.  let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.  

Yesterday you said tomorrow

Well hey there friends.  I don't even know how to begin to apologize for actually taking FOUR months off of blogging (then again maybe nobody actually missed me?? Say it isn't so??!!)

But I am back and have a little something new for you.  A little journey that I hope you all will want to join me on.

You see it's funny, my last post in September was on September 18th and it was about my birthday, which mind you, was August 16th.  But the funny part is that on September 18th I actually did something that I NEVER EVER thought I would do in my lifetime.  That day I ran the Corporate Cup 10K in Omaha for the American Lung Association.  It was my first race and it was amazing not only to run the race and complete it but to see all of my hard work training pay off that day as I crossed the finish line.

So what happened after that?  Well it seems that when there is nothing to train for, I don't always stick with my running routine like I should.  So what does any sane, rational, intelligent person do?

Sign up for the Lincoln Half Marathon of course!!

Yep, that's right, I'm running 13.1 miles on May 6th and to be completely honest, at this point I am terrified.  But I just keep reminding myself that I never thought I would run 6.2 miles at one time and I did that, so now I just have to do that twice and then some...right?  At this point I'm building up my mileage before starting my "official" training program on February 14th - Happy Valentine's Day to me!

So I'm hoping you all will join me on this adventure (I don't mean literally - but by all means, if you'd like my training program, I'd be happy to share it with you).  I'll share the ups and downs of training, lessons learned, and hopefully on May 6th a victory pic of me crossing the finish line at Memorial Stadium!!  There is no better day than today people, so here we go!!

Oh and p.s. - I'm sure there will still be a fair share of wine reviews, restaurant ratings, and cooking challenges that I will share along the way - just with some tough runs and grueling workouts in between!! 

Brix and Stone

So this is a bit overdue - but it was too good not to share!! For my birthday in August (see - I told you it was overdue!) my good friend Kristin took me out to dinner here in Lincoln and we decided to try out Brix and Stone Gastropub in Downtown Lincoln.  They don't have an overwhelmingly large menu but what is there is exceptional.  I opted to order an appetizer for my meal when I saw they had pot stickers.  As you can see in the photo below, they came with three different sauces and served on a bed of steamed rice.

This was actually the perfect size because i was full but not stuffed so i definitely recommend ordering off of the appetizer menu.  My drink was a Marilyn Monroe which was pink and delicious.  In this picture you can also kind of see Kristin's dish which was a Snapper I believe.  

The real star of this table however is the bread.  Now let me preface this by telling you what the server said to us before she brought the bread (she was fantastic by the way). She was very apologetic and said that she was very sorry but they had a specialty bread tonight and she hoped that was okay. Tonight's bread was Pumpkin Bread.  

Are you kidding me?? Pumpkin bread is ALWAYS okay!! It was so moist and delicious that we actually saved it for our dessert.  So if you're lucky they will have this on hand when you visit Brix and Stone, although I have a feeling that all of their breads are on par with the pumpkin.  

Lincoln's Own Little Secret Garden

Okay so maybe it's not much of a secret, but while you're there it's hard not to imagine that you're the first one to ever step foot there, like it's been hidden away for years.

I'm speaking of course of Lincoln's Sunken Gardens.  Created on 1.5 acres near 27th Street and Capitol Parkway the gardens were built in the 1930s.  With construction being completed during the Great Depression, over 200 men were given much needed jobs by the garden project.  The gardens were remodeled as recently as 2004.

The Sunken Gardens include several different gardens.  The Perennial Garden which returns every year of course, the Annual Garden which is planted by volunteers every Spring, and the Healing Garden which was completed in shades of white to inspire calm.  The Annual Garden is planted based on a theme every year.  This summer the theme is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The garden also includes two different raised ponds with koi and many beautiful water plants as well as several pieces of sculpture.

The Gardens keep busy with many volunteer events throughout the summer and year round.  In the Spring volunteers are welcomed to "Wake up the Beds" and prepare the grounds for annual planting.  In the Fall, volunteers gather again for "Put the Beds to Bed" where the grounds are then prepared for winter by pulling annuals and adding new compost.  Green thumbs can also meet twice a week to learn about the gardens and different gardening techniques.

The Sunken Gardens are in a word, gorgeous.  While not overly expansive, they fill and nearly overflow the space they occupy.  They are lush and vibrant and there's a certain peace the minute you step on the grounds.  Many people mill around looking at the flora and fauna while others sit and rest or read among the foliage.  If you find yourself in Lincoln in the Spring or Summer I definitely recommend - no insist on a trip to the Sunken Gardens.  And if you walk just a little south out of the gardens and then across 27th Street towards the Children's Zoo you can visit the beautiful Rose Garden adjacent to the Sunken Gardens.  I've never seen that many varieties of roses in one place!!

It really is a beautiful treasure in the middle of the city - so much so that when I finally got there, I went twice in one week!  The photos are from a trip there with a friend on one of the most temperate and beautiful nights we've had in Lincoln this summer.  I then went later that week when my mom was in town.  Whether you're learning the fine art of wandering or spending time with family, the Sunken Gardens will capture your heart from the moment you pass under the stunning pavilion and into the flowers below.