Bear with me

I know I haven't blogged in forever. School is really getting me right now. Please be patient, and I will try to blog regularly again soon.

Self-esteem

This past weekend Tanner and I were given a wonderful opportunity to help at Ridgecrest and hang out with our youth group. It truly was a great weekend. I might talk more about it in a later post. For now I want to talk about one thing that really hit home for me.

Something I really struggle with is self-esteem. I always compare myself to other people. I criticize myself on topics ranging from height, weight, looks, how good of a wife I am, and much much more. I am super hard on myself, and it really bothers my husband.

The speaker this weekend, Stuart Hall, said something that really got my attention. I have no right to criticize myself. God made me in His image (Genesis 1:27). All of the wonderful things about God are inside of me. Stuart told us to imagine looking at a beautiful sunset or sunrise. I have no problem looking at those and seeing all of the beauty within them. However, when I look at myself, I don't see it at all. Yet, God made me in His image. How can I not see that beauty? I am really going to try to stop criticizing myself as much as I have. We'll see how it goes.

Ridgecrest

We are leaving in a few minutes to head to Ridgecrest. We are going down a day earlier than the youth to help get things set up. It should be a fun weekend. Pray that God works in the lives of the youth (and adults), and that everyone has a safe trip.

http://www.hbastudentconference.com

(By the way, my wonderful husband designed their webpage. If it doesn't load correctly give it a sec and try refreshing it.)

It's Official!

We now have our car again!!! All I can say is that I am very thankful that we have been sticking to our budget. If you don't have one, you should. It can help change your life. I used to spend money anytime I felt like it (before I was married). Now I know that I can only spend the money if there is still some left for the month in that particular fund. It really helped us out with the car situation.

Finally!

The word on the street is that I will get my car back today or tomorrow. Yay! No word yet on the final price...that is the part I am really not looking forward to. However, I am just thankful to be getting it back.

St. Patty's Day

Well, it's actually almost the end of St. Patrick's Day. I was so busy today that I didn't even take the time to remember that 6 years ago I was marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. I loved the British Isles, and I definitely want to go back one day. Tanner really wants to go to Scotland, and I am more than happy to go again...

Maybe one day when our vacation budget is a little bigger.

Good food and a good movie!

Yesterday I found a recipe on Rachael Ray's website for Parmesan Crusted Tilapia. First of all, I am a HUGE fan of tilapia. I am also a HUGE fan of parmesan cheese. Therefore, this recipe definitely caught my attention. I decided to make it for dinner last night. Oh my goodness! This was definitely one of my favorite things I have ever made. Plus it was sooo easy and quick. I had never cooked fish before, so I was a little worried about it. Now, I will definitely be trying more fish recipes. Another plus - it didn't make my house smell like fish!

Here is the recipe:

Marcus Nilsson Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 2 teaspooons paprika 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley 4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total) 1 lemon, cut into wedges Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Salt and freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 400º. In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the fish with the lemon wedges.

On another note, we went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles last night night with Tanner's family. I had no clue what this movie was about, and once I found out I really didn't think I would like it. It turned out that both of us really liked it. I'm glad we decided to give it a chance.