WINNER! and other news

I am happy to announce that LAUREN is the winner of a free copy of Real {Fast} Food by Trina Holden!! I can't wait to hear about the recipes that you try! For all you ladies that did not win-I HIGHLY recommend buying a copy for yourself here. You won't regret it. The other day I roasted a chicken per her instructions. Mind boggling good. AND I'm going to use the carcass for stock. AWESOME!

In other news, we are going camping this weekend. I am not a camper; I've been twice in my life-neither time was it very fun. But alas, the hubs has decided to be outdoorsy, so I am going along. Luckily we are going with another family, so the kids will have other kids to play with rather than bickering amongst themselves which has become their new favorite thing to do. In an effort to ensure that I at least eat really well, I made some yummy snacks for the trip.

I of course made Trina's bread for sandwiches-I really can't say enough about this bread. It's delic. I also grabbed a couple of recipes from themarathonmom. Specifically, the chocolate peanut granola bars and creamy jalapeno dip. This dip is sooooo good. Cilantro, jalapeno, ranch. Add some chips and I am in heaven-even with bugs and dirt. Finally, I made my black bean hummus (or paste if you are offended to use hummus in connection with anything but garbanzo beans). It is a nice change up from the regular stuff, and it has become a staple snack in our house for the last year or so.

I will certainly post how the trip goes. I'm hoping for lucky number 3 to be the one to change my view on the great outdoors.

Pick your battles

Yesterday started off not great. Too little sleep + Corey getting called in + a 3 year old that can go from normal to ANGRY in a breath = exhaustion by 9 AM. Joe is tough sometimes. He is the sweetest kid in the world when he wants to be. He is the hardest kid in the world when he wants to be. And when he decides to be tough and irrational (can a 3 year old be irrational, I don't know) and stubborn, it WEARS ME OUT.

So yesterday we fought about clothing. We fought about breakfast. We fought about playing on my phone. So when we got in the car to go to church and Joe found his helmet and put it on, I had no more energy to fight with him. When he wanted to wear it into church, I let him. He wore it to the grocery store. He would have worn it to take a nap, but he had regained an ounce of logic by then and didn't fight me when I asked him to take it off.

Over the many years of my parenthood - I am oh so wise after 6 years of this thing :) - I have learned there is an art to picking battles. Some things matter. Some don't. But I forget to remember sometimes too. I forget that no one cares what Joe wears to church (certainly not Jesus). And it doesn't matter if he wants the exact same breakfast every single day. He's a stubborn kid; he's competitive; he has made me want to pull my hair out on more than one occasion. BUT he is mine. And I love every piece of him. Even when we meet out fight quota at 9 AM. Even when we battle.

PS--Don't forget to read my review of Trina Holden's Real {Fast} Food and leave a comment. You will be entered for a chance to win a copy of the book--and it is AWESOME!!

this Diploma is brought to you by the following...

I feel like that is how I should start this day. It is my graduation day. I am finally finished. I get to wear a silly hat and ugly gown and get a doctorate degree.

But none of it would have been even remotely possible without the love, support, understanding, and willingness to help from those around me. I wish that I could throw all of you a big party to say "THANK YOU"--thank you for helping make my dreams a reality--thank you for helping me stay sane--thank you for all of it. But a blog post will have to suffice for now.

People ask me all the time how I got through law school with two small kids. And the truth is "I" didn't. I had an army of support from the first day....

Sooo...this diploma was made possible by the following...

My family

• Of course Corey has made endless sacrifices for me to go to school full time. He has been my biggest fan and my rock through everything. 
• Both sets of parents have also been instrumental. Babysitting weekly or overnight or allowing us to go on vacations that we needed for sanity sake. 
• My extended family for being cheerleaders and encouragers!

All those that ever watched our children.

(this list is long, but I will include a few highlights)

• Shawna-first year is dedicated to this woman. She watched my children (along with her two) 2-3 days a week (with little compensation). She let me bring them over when they were sick. She was awesome!
• Becki-she has been watching Joe for us this year and he LOVES it. 
• Alexis-our nanny for two summers! Oh my goodness, my children love her. She is ridiculous with them! She would bring crafts...she took pictures... she made working full time not so heart-wrenching.
• Scads of friends have volunteered in a pinch-Lu, Brittany, Abby, Meghan, Lauren, Laura, Chelsy...

All those that were willing to study at my house or on my schedule

• Lauren and Charlie definitely were champions of this category. Many a late night was spent around my dining room table doing flashcards or making outlines while the kiddos snoozed.
• Brittany! She worked with me on my time. I don't think I would have gotten through Property, Payment Systems, Bus Org etc without her organizational skills!
• The boys I bribed with food to study at my house...Jake, Drew, Nick, Noah, Aaron. Thank you! 

All those that kept being my friend even when I was whiny, or distant, or difficult.

(this list is also long. I am truly blessed to have so many people be my friend!)

• Shawna-again. She is awesome. And has been my friend since high school-which says something about her staying-ability.
• Danielle--far away but always constant. She has been my friend through all of this. Her and Scott have offered their home up many a time as a haven when school gets to be too much. 
• Erin-who knew this gal would stick with me for so long. She was a constant reminder to keep going. It is fun to celebrate us both getting a doctorate! 
• Becki-always quick to offer some coffee and conversation. Love her for that!
• Abby--OH ABBY! You know. I'm not sure I could explain how important you are anyways :)
• Ellen-being far apart has not stopped her from being an amazing friend to me. She has prayed and checked in and held me accountable despite the thousands of miles between us.
• Meghan-as a fellow professional student, she has been an equally drained and exhausted friend. And oh so much fun from late night convos to spending two weeks in our spare room. I have loved this lady!
• Lauren--my best friend in law school. We are so different in so many ways and so the same. She has stuck by me and encouraged me. We cook for fun. We reward with food (and beverage). She was so necessary!
• Chelsy-I have never met someone as similar to me. She has kept me grounded when things got crazy. She has offered the Word to heal and encourage and love. 

I can't really do justice to any of you in a blog. But know that I thank God for you everyday. I would never get to walk across that stage without you. This diploma is for you :)

A decade

A decade ago I met this guy and we went on our first date--to see Panic Room. It is a wonder we made it to a second date after that terrible movie! A decade later we are hanging out in recliners watching our kiddos play Wii, drinking coffee, and just generally enjoying one another's company. I think that is how I would describe us best--we just genuinely enjoy being around one another. I can't imagine my life without him.

We have been through a lot in our 10 years. We have grieved, mourned and wailed (with me doing most of the wailing-Corey isn't much of a crier). But we have also rejoiced. And laughed. We laugh A LOT.

We have changed over the years too. We've changed addresses; we've changed churches; we've changed hairstyles--the beard is the newest facial hairstyle for him :); The dreams we had when we first met have transformed into new dreams. But with every season, I am reminded that I love this guy-he is my best friend. I'm looking forward to another decade (by then we will have teenagers--pray for us!)

BTW |:| Bozic-Taylor Weekend

At least a couple times a year, we have Bozic-Taylor weekends. More in the last couple-which is fine by all of us. The weekends generally involve really good food, really great fellowship, and a whole lot of vegging!  This past weekend was a family affair--all 7 of us in participation. And it went remarkably well. I say "remarkably" because having 3 kids sleep in one room could have been horrendous, but they all got along WONDERFULLY! (and they slept pretty wonderfully as well!).

Here is the time-line with photos (although, Danie has a lot more photos - so check her blog for more):

Thursday
AM: Bozics leave Morgantown
PM: Bozics arrive at Taylor residence; DINNER--brats, chips, beans, homemade salsa (YUM)

the rest of the evening was spent hanging out, letting kiddos play, catching up on all the new and exciting things that had gone on since the last time we were together.

Friday
AM: I hung out with kiddos while Scott and Danielle went to work and Corey ran errands. We did all kinds of fun things like...

play with balloons

jump around

play outside

take photos (typical brother behavior)

Early PM: Once the Taylors got home, Danielle and I headed out to have our girl time.

 Which involved a tattoo for her (SO EXCITED TO BE THERE) and yummy drinks and apps at a downtown place. I will let Danie share her tattoo with you, but I will steal her KILLER pic of our drinks with the reflection of the buildings in the background.

Later PM: Delicious butternut squash stuffed shells, fun fall drink called a Boardwalk Boss, and just hanging out.

Saturday:
AM: Boys turn to head out and enjoy some early morning golf adventures.

Girls manned all three kiddos-we went to Ainsley's soccer game, brunch at Tomato Head, and the Farmer's Market.

Early PM: Mountaineer Football--wings, spuds and lounging.

Later PM: Dinner--tempeh and green bean stir fry with peanut sauce. recipe here. Once kiddos were tucked in, the adults VEGGED OUT. We watched funny videos and ate cookies (or cookie dough for me :). As always, we laughed (until I snorted) and wished tomorrow wasn't the day we left.  It was loverly!

Sunday:
AM: Church at OneLife. It was great to get to worship with our friends and see what they are doing in their church.

PM: the long drive home-always sad to leave.

Weekend in Review

The weekend was damp--ok downright soaked. And COLD! I mean it is October, but I was unprepared for 44 degree weather. Still, we made the most of it. Friday night the kiddos and I (and my momma) bundled up and went to the Homecoming Parade. It rained and rained, but my kids were so excited--jump over to the family blog to see some pics.

Saturday morning, we had a wonderful family breakfast. I think it needs to be a tradition! We whipped up some blueberry muffins (for Joe) and sausage (for Libby) with lots of French pressed coffee for me and the hubs (YES--my husband is now a coffee drinker-who would've ever thought?). We hung out around the table and enjoyed each other's company for a while before Corey had to head to his gig.

Joe "reading" me the recipe

The coffee drinking Bozics

The kiddos and I spent the rest of the day indoors. It would have been great to go to the game, but wrangling two kids in the dreary conditions didn't seem like a good plan. Instead we watched from the warmth of our basement. They even performed a half-time show for me.

Later on Meghan paid a visit. She and I made some snacks and had some wine. It was great to catch up and hang out. We threw on PJs just in time for Corey to get home. The three of us watched the documentary about Conan and called it a night.

This was actually before the Marshall game--aren't we cute in our dark gray shirts :)

 Sunday was church and lunch with Meghan and the med students (band name possibility?). Then HOMEWORK. 7 hours in the same chair is too many. But the finish line is in sight--8 months. That's the long term excitement...the short term excitement?? Spending some Q-time with these people in 3 days!!

A lovely vacation

After a long summer of working full time and taking a class, a vacation was definitely in order. And Charleston, SC was a perfect destination. Corey and I stayed in the Marriott in the Business District, which put us 10 minutes from Folly Beach and 5 from downtown.

Our days were spent on the beach, and the biggest decision we made each day was where to eat. AND OH DID WE EAT! Corey and I have decided to vacation in foodie cities. Austin was our first spot. Charleston was equally delightful. We had lots of fresh seafood, but also a little of other cuisines as well. Our favorite spot by far was a Thai place called Basil. It was our first Thai experience and it was DELICIOUS! Corey had the Red Curry Duck, extra spicy. I had the Basil with tofu. It was awesome.

A close second was Taco Boy at Folly Beach. Fresh ingredients in awesome sauces. They also served a mean margarita.

My favorite (nonfood) spot by far was a bar on King Street called the Belmont. It was an old-fashioned bar that served old-fashioned drinks. Our bartender's name was Joey and he knew SO MUCH about cocktails. He had a passion for pre-prohibition drinks and made me a few of the best ones that I have ever had.

this is the old-fashioned: two slices of orange peel, rye bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, orange cordial. YUMMY!

We didn't take any tours or really do anything terribly exciting. But we walked all over down town. I am in love with the architecture of Charleston. The details are amazing, the colors, even the businesses all have a very trendy vibe.

It is easy to enjoy the simplest of walks. Our last full day was spent walking all over the place-doing some shopping etc. I was stung by a jellyfish the day before, and I was scared to go back to the beach. There is a huge market with handmade wares as well as a row of very, very nice shops on King Street.

It was such a relaxing vacation. We enjoyed every minute. But we were ready to get home...we missed our kiddos! I highly recommend Charleston to anyone thinking of traveling. Maybe not in August (it was HOT--100+ everyday). I'll leave you with some photos from all around :)