Happy Umbrella #7: March's First

To keep on track with our marriage goal, Luke and I ensured a new first for the month of March. We have determined that as long as it is a first for one of us it counts because...at least we are doing it together :). This first required a little bit of travel and held an element of surprise for me. On our way home to Idaho to see Lauren, Luke's little sister, perform in Crazy for You (great job Lauren!), Luke decided to make an entertaining and delicious dinner stop to achieve our first.

Upon seeing the log cabin scheme and the steakhouse title, my stomach began to grumble and my expectations quickly exceeded. If Luke and I had known at that moment the amusement that awaited inside those sturdy cabin doors, we would have sprinted to meet the fun.

Our entrance was guided by the most pleasant man with a ponytail. Luke requested a private table upstairs and voila! Up,up,up we climbed the beautiful, unique, log staircase right to our table that overlooked the entire restaurant. Peanuts dressed every table as an appetizer...who gives peanuts before dinner?

 Our waitress was kind and suggested the best items and how to make things cheaper...what waitress does that? While waiting for our food to arrive we enjoyed people-watching and surveying the steakhouse population. Old and young, cowboys and the rest of us...the steakhouse seemed to cater to all. We also enjoyed taking a few pictures to capture the scene. (It was pretty dim, so some didn't turn out as we had hoped).

Then the food came...delicious...gone. Just like that...yummy! The baby back ribs were so well cooked that they completely fell off the bone. We got a little carried away with those crystal clean ribs; we were just so impressed ;).

After that way-too-much-fun experience, we had to order a dessert. Raspberry creme' brulee made the cut and we finished our meal with a taste of heaven.

See that log behind us? Well we couldn't end the night without carving our initials into the wood like lovers do...right? So, to add to the fun we carved our initials. Rather, I attempted to carve our initials and using a butter knife is harder than it looks.

On our way out, we stopped at the lovely display of boots to document the "Guess My Favorite Cowboy Boot" game we had played while waiting for the arrival of our food. Didn't I tell you the amusement levels were high? And you thought it was over with the peanuts didn't you?

FYI: My favorite is on the top shelf, far right, brown...it is darling close up :)
Luke's favorite is right below that. 

From start to finish, this first was one to remember. I'm so grateful to have a husband that makes life fun, and makes a simple dinner turn into quite the adventure. March's first will be hard to beat!
                                                                                                             

                                     Add a little silly fun to your day:).    

                                                                                                                                        Happy Umbrellaz!

Happy Umbrella # 6: Collages

 
   It is pretty simple...I love collages. Collages have a unique way of conveying an abundant amount of information in just a glance. Yet, the glance can become quite involved if you allow it. Deep, underlying messages can be found in collages and it is fun to attempt to discover the artist's meaning in creation. I fashioned a couple of my own ... see if you can find the deeper meaning :)...

Wish you could see the real thing on our wall, but you get the idea :)

 

If you couldn't guess it, these collages represent the things that make Luke and me happy with their simplicity ...and, in some cases, deliciousness! It is fun to reflect on such happy thoughts and memories!

Make your own collage and have fun with it! 

You can create a word collage at wordle.net  (I know this thanks to my    intern mentor...thanks McKenzie;))

Happy Umbrellaz!

Happy Umbrella #5: It's true...Kids DO say the darndest things

   The simple words of children have a way of touching souls like nothing else. Whether those words bring tears of joy or laughter, they certainly are worth sharing. So, let me share our recent, and quite entertaining, child incident.
   Luke and I have the pleasure of working with the 5-year-olds in our new church calling. High energy, constant movement, imaginative minds, silly questions, and genuine curiosity ... a few words to describe this rowdy crowd. Though sometimes hard to manage, we cherish the opportunity to share time with them because of their sincerity and creativity.
   As I was introducing myself to the children for the first time, I mentioned to one of the little boys that my husband's (that man over there) name is Luke. Already big eyes widened as far as possible, surprise filled his face, and excitement streamed from every part of this little boy's body. He quickly turned towards Luke and began poking him incessantly trying to get his attention AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! Luke, busy talking to other children, finished his conversation and directed his attention to the pokes.
"What, what??" Luke said.
"Is your name Luke?" the little boy breathed out eagerly.
"Yes, it is," Luke replied.
"Are you...are you...A JEDI??" The boy could hardly finish his question he was so elated.

   Luke and I could not help but chuckle...Luke said he wanted badly to say yes to continue this boy's extreme happiness. The little boy melted our hearts with this completely genuine question, and he provided entertainment for the entire day as we continued to reflect on this sweet interaction.

--> Some resemblance...Luke could definitely pull it off.
My personal opinion...I think Luke is much better looking :).
Plus, if Luke was following Jedi rules, he technically shouldn't love me and that would be TRAGIC!! 

Luke has way too much to smile about to be a Jedi anyway...
The dark side wouldn't be able to handle his optimism :).

   Though children can create many moments of frustration ( only can say this from observation of others, namely sisters ;) ), they also can be shining lights that share a happiness that can only be created by their little spirits. Make sure and enjoy the little ones around you! Happy Umbrellaz!!