Quick Update

So...

i'm officially bad at blogging. i have put it off! this is going to be a quick update!

i just got home about an hour ago from the neshoba county fair. ohhh man. long but awesomely fun week! i missed my bea though. and my bed. i miss philly already. i love that place.

i have so many pictures to upload, including st louis mission trip pics! i'm procrastinating at the moment.

okay so let me tell you an incredibly yummy secret i learned this week. ok, i'm a fan of chocolate. a BIG fan. i love chocolate sheet cakes (yummy...esp poineer woman's). but i had one this week that had a little cinnamon in it... oh my gosh did it change everything! it was 10x better! try it!

so many friends are getting married/pregnant these days. it's so exciting and beautiful to be at this point in life! lately, D and I's marriage has been growing a lot. i am loving him more and more each day, and i feel like the longer we're married the more we laugh. what a great sign! praying for all of you who are in this stage of life. it's wonderful and it's hard.

school starts back august 24th. i.am.so.excited. i actually miss school (huhh?). cant wait to get back in it again!

anyways, will update with pictures and hopefully stories some time this week! love love love.

headed out...

hey everyone!

i'm leaving at 8 am to chaperone a youth mission trip to st. louis for the week. i'm sad to be leaving Dane but so excited to see what God has in store. 

please be praying for elliott, ramona, me, and the fourteen youth that are going. also, pray for john mark gilder, one of our youth that was in a serious car accident yesterday morning. pray that the Lord moves and His will is done.

thanks for the prayers!

see you next saturday :)

we made it!

well, i'm quite late on this post, but i wanted to acknowledge our 'one year anniversary' post! i wanted to share a few pictures at random and from our wedding day. 

i can't believe i'm married, but less i've been married for over a year and 1 month now. i wasn't that girl who came to college looking for 'the one'. i wanted to do my own thing, go off and get a few degrees, move out west, have fun fun fun, and maybe settle down when i'm in my 30's. nope, God had a heck of a bigger plan for me than that. obviously my needs came before my wants! couldn't have planned it better myself :)

my junior year of college i was at an RUF halloween party at john clemmer's house. it was a thursday night in October. i was sitting by the fire talking to some of my friends and i began talking to the guy next to me. we had a good conversation and ended up going with a big group to a haunted house. we didn't get in (thank the Lord, i HATEEEEE haunted houses). 

it wasn't until the next semester, in january, that i even saw him again. apparently he had an eye out for me (haha Dane i hope this isn't embarrassing you). we got 'set up' (thanks to jessica akin and john harrelson) in the first round of the dating game. we went bowling with another team. later, Dane would tell me how awkward that night was. i thought it was fun! whatev. and slowly but surely, a relationship came from that. not gonna lie, it took me a while to figure out what my feelings for Dane were. but when i figured them out, holy moly it was over from there. he stole my heart and won me over. he tricked me! haha kidding! i knew what i was in for. and look at us now. a year of marriage, 5 moves, a small town, a wonderful church, and a big ole puppy later, we're here. and we're happy. and we're 'making it'. can't believe the dreaded FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE is checked off the list. have we had an awesome year? yes. have we fought? duh. have we messed up and had to apologize? constantly. have i fallen even more in love with dane? YUP! have i embarrassed him in the post? absolutely.

enjoy the pics!

 scott and wellons' wedding!

 not so cute family portrait. haha

 the night he asked me to marry him. this is the exact fire we sat around when we first met and the exact fire he proposed that began the rest of our lives.

 my first family trip with the DeWeese's. it was a blast.

 ok this is literally one of the first few times we hung out. dane asked me to go to the RUF barn dance with him. haha!

 the night we got engaged. bahaha mere and lewis crack me up.

 the big day :)

the end :)

to another year!

love you Dane.

How to Assemble the Perfect Salad

Okay, so it might not be perfect but it is well loved in the DeWeese household. 

Some people think it's all about the dressing or the cheese or the lettuce.

I personally believe that it is all about the entire thing. All of the flavors and textures of each ingredient coming together to make a savory, yet simple, meal/side dish.

So, every time we eat salad, I go by these rules that I've made through trial and error.

#1: Simplify the lettuce. If you get a mix, that is fine. But to me, the simpler the better. I don't like a lot of hearts of the lettuce or red lettuce or red cabbage shreds in the salad. It changes the overall taste of the salad. I like simple. All romaine. All spinach. Etc. We prefer baby spinach.

#2: Add something crunchy. The salad needs crunch, and not just from the lettuce leaves. You can put any type of nut (walnut, pecan, almond, etc). We love sliced almonds. But, you can also use other things: crushed ramen noodles, parmesan crisps, really anything that's crunchy but does not get soggy.

#3: Something sweet. There's nothing like a little fruit to set off the onion-y ingredients or the bitter/strong cheeses. Anything sweet, but not too sour or pungent. Strawberries (yumm), apples, pears, dried cranberries...really anything! Also, I like just one type of fruit in my salad. Too many fruits call for too much sweetness and can perhaps become the star of the salad. Enjoying the the salad as a whole is KEY! Adding too much fruit or cheese or dressing, etc. can offset the 'experience' of every ingredient coming together (i think i watch wayyy too much foodnetwork).

#4: A little bit of onion. Green onions, purple onions (diced), shallots, leeks, even onion-y herbs such as chives.

#5: A good cheese. Now, i'm a huge fan of cheese. I love all kinds, even the strong stuff. I love a good feta, goat cheese, bleu cheese, or gorgonzola. But, if you prefer something a little lighter, shredded parmesan gives a nutty yet mild flavor. Also, you'll taste A WORLD of difference if you grate the cheese yourself. Trust me!

#6: The dressing. Okay, so through many trials and errors I have made my balsamic vinaigrette just.the.way.i.like.it. I'm hesitant to share my recipe (because I may bottle it one day...kidding!). But here it is: use it! I promise you won't be disappointed. A lot of this recipe is per taste, so just bear with that and trial and error it up a little.

I love mine a little strong with more vinegar than most recipes call for. I use about 2/3 cup of olive oil and between 1/3 and 1/2 a cup of balsamic vinegar and combine them in a screw-top mason jar. I know that seems like a lot but it makes it perfect. Plus, since it's a little on the stronger side, a little goes a looong way! Add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder per taste. Add a squirt or two of dijon mustard (probably about 1/2 a tsp). And then, add a packet of sweetener (we use splenda)! The sweetness tones down the bite of the vinegar and it draws out the sweetness of the fruit. Screw the top on the jar and shake until combined. So easy. Oh man, it's worth making a storing in your fridge! Do it!

Enjoy my little rendition of a DeWeese staple. I love the variety of a salad because you can almost make it any way you want. It's the beauty of food! Enjoy :)

a very-much, long-awaited post!

i don't know how i'm going to update y'all on our lives the past month.

i'll start with school. the semester has ended, and i have finished! i made pretty good grades, so i was happy with that. what i was not happy with was having 12 papers due for one class on may 13th. i will never ever be a procrastinator again. but, I DID IT! :)

also, the flood is here. it's been really crazy to see and watch over the past few weeks. many of you have asked if we're going to be flooded, and no, we're not. thank you for showing concern. i will ask you to pray for those who's houses, lives, and crops are damaged in all of this. it's pretty surreal and sad. i will post pictures on another blog of some flooding in the yazoo area.

Anywho, in the past month, we have celebrated both of our birthdays and our one year anniversary! i cant believe it. the 'hardest year' is over (HA, yea right), and i cant believe all of the things we've done and accomplished in that year. i wrote out every single memory i have from this past year for dane. it was so fun thinking back on all of the big and little moments. yes, i mentioned all 5 moves, dane's wonderful job, this great life we've established here in yazoo city, graduating from undergrad, starting grad school, dane surprising me with bea, and all of the tiny, little things in between. i won't share all of them with you :) all i know is that i'm a lucky girl for marrying a wonderful man. i get to love him everyday and i get to share my life with him. and i even get to do his laundry :) haha. i could go on and on about how much Dane means to me and how the Lord has blessed me and him and us together, but i will save that for another time. 

Here are some pictures from our birthdays!

Dane surprised me with this on my birthday! I WAS PUMPED!! it's a window box herb garden (with some ferns, begonias, gardenias, and a cactus, too!) that now sits right under our kitchen window. my herbs have exploded! i have garlic chives, oregano, lemon thyme, italian parsley, rosemary, and dill. love love love love love!! thank you D for such a wonderful, awesome, thoughtful gift! 

motay and von-gretel. our favorite. haha (kidding, Ann!)

Dane and Eddie lovin' time.

hanging out with the in-laws :)

Dane on his 24th birthday! how excited does he look ?

yes, our washing machine doubles as a cake stand. didn't mean to!

big country cam got redneck on us and went fishin' in the pond

some people just hanging out. yes that's our house, and yes, it's much cuter than it looks ? haha

Happy Birthday to you!

Bea+Eddie=best buds

family portrait

ok, last pic, can you please look at how precious this is? we're a snuggling family for sure.

look how big my baby has gotten! she's so much fun.

ok, that's all! next post will be some more pictures! thanks for being patient as i busily finish us my first semester at RTS! love you all.

My Best Frans

Well, I just finished a presentation and a final and with all of this school stress and worry about the flood, I have had a moment of appreciation for 3 people.  No, Dane is not one of them in this post, BUT I'm thankful for him everyday! I wanted to take an opportunity to introduce you to my 3 best friends.  A few posts back, I told you I'd dedicate a post just to them, so here it is! Now, I have other best friends that are super important to me.  However, these girls have been with me since day 1!

Courtney

Court and I laugh more together than anyone else.  She is hilarious, and I'm pretty sure I'm only funny when I'm around her.  Maybe that's why I got nominated for "Funniest" in high school--because I hung out with her constantly! Just in case you wanna know, Courtney and I were up for this award.  As a joke, they started calling my name as the winner and slid right into courtney's name... "And the winner is MMMM.....COURTNEY!!!"  It was hilarious! No I'm not even funny enough to win this.  She comes from a fun and loud family--crazy Italians.  She's sarcastic and a little loud and pretty much doesn't care.  She's an incredible athlete (she played soccer at Miami University!) and incredible friend.  She's an awesome writer and the queen of quotes.  We can quote the entire dumb and dumber movie...it's kinda ridiculous.  She's the one I always call when I'm bored or I need a pep in my step.  She's always entertaining, always caring, and always there for me.  I thank God for her every day.

Katie

She's my favorite ginger.  She has a heart of gold and is fun, smart, and beautiful. She's athletic, intelligent, and has inherited some amazing cooking genes!  Her family is so close and welcoming. I always feel like I can knock on the Ellis' door and be welcomed in with a glass of Chardonnay, some appetizers, and an amazing meal from Mrs. Ava. I will never forget the afternoons we'd go to her house and Ava would cook shrimp fried rice and we'd talk about all of the drama in our lives.  Oh man!  Katie is girly and crafty.  She's FUN!! She's been a United States traveler (has lived in FL, MS, went to Michigan State, moved to Nashville, and is not in D.O. school in Kansas City). I'm still trying to convince her to deliver my children one day.  She loves her family and her Callie and will one day be the greatest doctor ever. Even though her schedule is crazy from studying and being so involved at school, we never miss a beat. I love this girl and I thank God for her every day.

Carrie

 

(hahahahaha)

She was my maid of honor.  She's been my bestie since 6th grade. We've been in choir together for forever.  We used to sing together all of the time.... i miss that currie kurk! She's a spiritual mentor for me.  At any time I'm questioning a verse or need her advice, she's there.  She has grown by leaps and bounds in her faith and has become fully committed to God's word.  She's inspiring and always happy.  We make fun of her for always being happy.... but it's just who she is!  In high school, Carrie was Miss Everything. HAHA! She got anything she tried out for, was homecoming queen and prom queen, won all kinds of awards at Mississippi College (like Miss MC) and is just 'that girl'.  We joke about it a lot, but I've come to realize that Carrie got those things not because she tried to or anything like that, but because Carrie is loved by everyone.  She reaches out to all people and is genuine about everything.  Our friendship hasn't wavered and I'm so thankful for her impact on my life. I thank God for her every day.

Thanks, girls, for being there since day one and for knowing more about me than anyone else.  Thanks for being the reason I go over my minutes on my cell phone haha. Y'all are the greatest friends an old married woman could ever have.  Thanks for never giving up on me and loving me past the insanity of my life.

reasons why it's been a while...

Hello friends and family!

I'm sorry that I have slacked on updating.  Life has been crazy!  We have moved into our new place, celebrated my 23rd birthday and Dane's 24th birthday, gotten bogged down with school and work insanity, gone to weddings, had family in town, and have been busy busy busy.  Also, we are celebrating our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY this weekend! WHAAAAAT?! Where has the time gone?! I cannot believe it. Marriage has been wonderful, hard, sanctifying, beautiful, rough, and more of a blessing than anything.  We have done so much in a year. My next post will not be until the end of May, seeing as I have many papers to write and finals to study for.  I just cannot justify spending time uploading pictures and writing posts when I have an overwhelming workload ahead.  Anyways, my last final is May 18th, and I will hopefully update the blog soon after that.  Thank you for being patient! Look forward to that post... It will contain pictures of our new place, our birthday celebrations, our anniversary, and our fast-growing pup Bea.  She is growing like crazy.  We have no idea what Bea is going to turn out like.  When we first got her she was plump and fuzzy and now she is a little fuzzy and so slender! She's growing faster than her calorie intake (lucky thing).  Anyways, pictures and awesome updates to come soon.  Until then, please pray for my finals and for Dane's work.  Also, please be thinking of the tornado victims and pray for the damage that might occur in our area (and around the Southeast) as a result of flooding.  Thank you Lord for this sanctifying year.  Thank you for the friends, jobs, schoolings, assignments (ehhh), trips, families, puppies, and Dane.

Love you all!