HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!!

I remember very well the first time I met Tim Reed. I was March 17, 2009. St. Patrick's Day. It was also the night of the Eagles concert. Austin and I weren't even dating at this point in time as Austin was still too scared to maintain more than 5 consecutive minutes of conversation with me. I had just come from a haircut next door and figured I'd swing into the Tav to grab a free soda before heading home.

Unfortunately, my timing didn't work out for quick beverage swipe. In true Boone Tavern fashion, they had not anticipated the Eagles' concert combined with St. Pat's day brining in A TON more business than usual and only 3 servers were scheduled. Which suddenly meant that my quick stop turned into my clocking in and running food to waiting tables with wet hair, ripped jeans, and flip flops.

As I walked out onto the patio, I noticed a large, rowdy table of patrons right in front of the server station. I did a double take when, suddenly I was looking at an older version of Austin Reed. I told my friend Dani, who was serving that night, "I think that guy is my friend, Austin's dad. You should ask him if his last name is Reed." And so she did. She returned a few minutes later with the message that I was supposed to go say hi.

Our ensuing conversation went a little bit like this:

Hey...so, you're Austin's dad?

Yeah...how do you know Austin?

We work together at Rock Bridge.

(looking a little confused) You work at Rock Bridge? With Austin?

Yep.

What do you do?

I'm a Guidance Counselor.

Oh. That's nice.....So...you're there everyday? All day? And you work with Austin?

(Laughing) Um, yep. I'm there everyday...except Saturday and Sunday.

Then the topic changes to the Eagles concert when Tim (or someone at his table mentions they are going).

Oh yeah, Austin told me today that he's going to the concert too. Will you all sit together?

(Tim looking doubtful). No, Austin's not going.

Yeah he is.

My son, Austin?

Uh, yeah. He's going with the golf coach.

Doug Daniels?

Yeah. I think so?

Tim doesn't believe me so he calls Austin up.

I'm at Boone Tavern with one of your friends.... (pause and then he turns to me, "What was your name again?") ...Rachel. She said you're going to the Eagles concert?......

Austin confirms that I am indeed correct and he's heading to the concert and Tim just says,
Well, hell...I can't even keep track of my own kids.

To which someone at the table offers him another frosty beverage and the table cracks up with laughter.

Later. A long time later. After Austin and I were dating, I told him this story. And I added, "You know before we were dating, one thing I remember thinking was 'Austin's dad is good looking for an old man (sorry about the "old man" comment Tim!) and if Austin looks like him when he's older, I'd be okay with that'. Wait. Is that creepy that I said your dad is good looking? Sorry".

And here we are. 2 years later. Austin and I are married and Tim, that funny guy I met at Boone Tavern on St. Pat's Day, is my father in law. Didn't see that one coming, but I'm sure glad that it worked out this way :)

And I'm sharing this story b/c Tim Reed says he is the luckiest man in the world and that he doesn't need anything for his birthday tomorrow.

In fact his quote was: "Tim Reed is the most blessed, luckiest man on this planet. ... I simply don't need anything. .. If you must do something, just give me a real cheap card, and let me know your summer plans and how Lisa and I can fit into those plans a little."

And while it's not a card with summer plans, the point of this whole entry, is that we too are so blessed. Because we have Tim in our lives. And having Tim in your life means that there's never a dull moment ;)

I specifically am blessed because Tim raised his oldest son to be a kind, thoughtful, and loving husband...who, like his father, has a hilarious sense of humor and knows how to have a good time :) (and who will grow up to be a pretty good looking old man :))

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM REED! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day full of birdies, beer, and Booches. :)

Much love,

Your very blessed daughter-in-law :)

Also, for your B-day, I've made you a cookie cake...which out grew it's pan in the oven. But I promise, by the time I deliver it, it will be both beautiful and delicious :)


Okay...so maybe "beautiful" is a relative term. I probably should have double checked the amount of icing I had before I started with the beautification process ;) And "delicious" may be relative also as I am pretty sure that the cookie is stuck to that baking stone despite the generous amount of Pam I sprayed on it before baking :) Whoops. Well....as they say. It's the thought that counts ;) HAPPY BDAY!

Thor

Saturday night Austin and I went to see the movie Thor. I have to admit, when the previews first came out, I thought that there was no way in the world I would actually go see that movie in theaters. I mean, really? A long haired blond dude running around in a viking helmet swinging a giant mallet!? Weird. But I like Natalie Portman. And the reviews were good. So I decided it may be worth checking out after all...

I'm so glad I did.

I don't know if I can adequately describe it, but no movie that I have seen recently has so strongly tugged at the part of my heart that longs for heaven. I'm positive that this is not the typical viewer reaction, but from the first scenes of the surreal realm of Asgard, I some how began to better understand how amazing heaven will be. If the finite mind of some set/graphic designer can come up with a vision that bizarre and grandiose, yet beautiful, then I cannot imagine how much more our infinite God has created.

Obviously not my picture...but I'm not quite sure what pictures I'd use for a post on Thor...

And maybe it was just the way my heart was already leaning, but as I watched the film, I couldn't help but see parallels to the gospel message. Thor's act of sacrificial love when he offers himself to his vengeful brother in order to save others. His resurrection as a warrior god after dying as a weak mortal. His return to Asgard with the promise that he would return to the ones he loves.

Now, obviously Thor is not a perfect Christ figure...for one, Thor's father, Odin, banishes him to earth b/c of his arrogance while Jesus humbly came to earth out of love...but the similarities were enough to strike a cord in my soul.

What resonated with me most was the last scene of the movie. The last line really. Thor, standing on the end of the bridge (to earth and other realms) that was destroyed in battle, asks the gatekeeper is he can see Jane, and he replies "She searches for you". That sentence, more than anything summed up the longing of my own heart.

In my head I "know" that I should long for Christ above all else, that I should be longing for his return. But rarely does that head knowledge truly connect with my heart. Seeing it played out on screen...seeing Thor standing in Asgard watching her and Jane tenaciously searching the sky for him in return..that made it click. Bridged the gap b/t my head and my heart so to speak. Because that is how it is with us and Christ. He is in heaven waiting to return to us and we are here on earth desperately longing for him. Even if we don't always "know" it, our hearts are searching for Him.

"She searches for you."

Yes, I do.

Blue Bird

There is a blue bird (jay?) who lives in our neighborhood and graces my dying bush in the front yard with his presence every once in a while. And every time I see him I get the song "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" in my head.

It's the truth...it's actual...everything is satisfactual....

May Day

May 1, 2011

A year ago I was single. I was working at Boone Tavern. I was dating this amazing guy. Who even though he didn't really like dogs, offered to go to the dog park with me after my shift. Even when it started to rain. Even when my friend Jordan ended up with my dogs so there were no dogs to take to the park.

A year minus a couple days ago, I started this blog. After my engagement :)

And now...here were are a year later.

I'm married. I quit the Tav. I get to wake up every morning to this amazing guy. And 2 giant dogs (and 2 cats). I wonder everyday how in the world life could get any better. And I marvel at how amazing God is to bless me so much when I deserve so little.

Happy May Day! :)

The List

Every time I have a project that I want to complete or something that I want to buy, Austin's response is "add it to the list". I am pretty sure this is his way of attempting to sweep the issue under the rug. If it's on "the list", then I am appeased and the conversation stops. But, I don't really think he ever thought that anything on the list would ever come to fruition.

Until last weekend when I somehow managed to change my garden from a list item into an actual plot of land!

It probably helped that I went ahead and bought all the plants at the Career Center's plant sale while he was distracted with the duties of teaching :)

It's nothing big...there are 3 tomato plants and some cayenne peppers (I figured if I was going to buy plants w/o consulting him first, I should probably at least buy something I know he'd be excited about :)) and 2 strawberry plants...and then we got some spinach and radish seeds to toss in the mix. I'm not so sure that those will sprout though...the already germinated plants at least have half a chance of surviving my gardening ignorance and our clay yard, I'm hoping.

And then, the "from the list to reality" project seemed to be going so well, I convinced Austin to get a tree for the front yard too! So, now we have a maple in the front yard and a garden out back. Not too shabby for a weekend's work.



So, there they are...the first of the list items to actually come to life.

Hopefully shutters will be next.


And in case you were curious...here are some of the other plants I managed to sneak from the Career Center's sale :)

Passover

April 21, 2011

There are two events that the Hermann family celebrates every year as a throwback to my father's upbringing and our Jewish heritage. Those events are Passover and Hanukkah. I am pretty sure I've written about Hanukkah already...so let me now take a minute to fill you in on the feast of Passover.

If Hanukkah is kind of like Christmas a celebration with gifts and food and lights, then Passover is kind of like Good Friday/Easter. And maybe I'm just drawing the comparisons because of the proximity of the events during the calendar year.

Passover is the commemoration of the Jews redemption from Egypt. Good Friday and Easter are the Christian commemoration of the redemption from sin and death. So maybe there's more of a parallel than just the dates on the calendar.

But that's what's so amazing about the Jewish religion and the Christian faith...one prepares for the other. The Jewish religion points to the coming of Christ and the Christian faith. Which is why we celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover even though we're Christians. Because we know that Passover isn't just a celebration of an event that occurred centuries ago...it's a celebration of the constant redemption and renewal that God provides through faith in his Son.

This is the first year that we have not had Passover at my parents house. And it seemed a little bit strange to be in the fellowship hall of a church instead of the cramped and cozy quarters of my mom's kitchen/dining room. And the Hagada that we read was a little different than what we traditionally read- a shorter version that would fit into the allotted hour service. But the message was still there. And this year, there was a sense of a greater community of believers who also understood and celebrated the importance of the Jewish history in our present Christian lives.


Baby Aliyah's first Passover...she's fascinated by the unleavened bread :)

A bunch of randoms and rambling...

Winter...spring...sometime in the beginning of 2011:

So, I'm having a blog identity crisis...

I read other people's blogs and they all seem to have a "theme". One friend blogs about the books that she has read this year (awesome blog if you want ideas on good reads. It's called A Year in Books).

Another friend blogs hilarious stories about her family and her little person. So entertaining.

I've read blogs of makeup reviews...although that was a one day gig about 6 months ago when I was in the market for new mascara. I don't really buy that much makeup to be honest. And blogs of travel adventures and yoga thoughts and advise for college planning. Every blog seems to have a purpose.

This blog originally started out as a "365 Project" where I was going to take a picture every day for a year and post it. A valiant effort, but not a successful one. May will be a year and this "project" will officially be over. But, I don't really want the blog to end (although it may have seemed to have died for a while there).

And so, here I am. In a blog identity crisis.

But here's the deal...I don't know that I want a blog identity. I like too many things...I want to blog about pictures I take and the random stories that go with them. But I also want to blog about books I've read or movies I've seen. Maybe about recipes I've tried. Or my DIY projects. Or the places I've traveled too. I want to blog about family and little people and giant dogs. So...when May rolls around and this 365 Project ends, perhaps a new chapter of blogging will begin.

In the mean time...here are some random pictures from the last couple months :)



Buck! Austin's new hero after watching his movie at the True/False Film Festival. Thanks to Lisa for the tickets!! It was AWESOME!! :)


When we were doing our pre-marriage counseling, one of the suggestions was to get involved with a joint ministry. Austin works with the senior high class at church. I had volunteered in the kids classes in the past. I didn't really feel comfortable teaching a senior high class (Austin is the one with the gift of teaching) and so he agreed to come down to my world this semester. And so, we spend 2 Sunday's a month hanging out with about 30 3 year olds! It's one of the most entertaining hours of my week. The most amusing part isn't the cute little kids. Nope, it's watching Austin interact with all the mini humans running around. My favorite quote thus far comes from our time in "large group" when we listen to the lesson for the day.

"No (pushes little kid who is trying to sit in his lab backwards). No...we don't do laps, Elliot. That's creepy. You sit cris-cross applesauce right here (pats the ground next to him)"

He's great during story time though :)


Totally random pictures that I took one day while sitting on the couch...I didn't feel like getting up so I just sat there snapping pictures playing with the manual settings on the camera. Proud of myself for doing all manual...even manual focus. I need to get a macro lens though so I can take more close up shots. That's gonna be my next project...to visit Columbia Photo and research lenses. As Austin would tell me "just put it on the list, Rachel" (since apparently there are quite a few "next projects" that I have mentioned...like shutters and a garden. But for real. A new lens is up there on the list :)


My homemade cake! I made it as a surprise for Austin one night. It was a little lopsided so you can see the icing on the front side is a little thicker than the back. :)


STL! Anheuser-Bush said "Come Visit Us!" and so we did....:)

Austin and I went up on Saturday (April 9) to visit his friend Adam Stevens and Adam's girlfriend Whit, who were in town for the 1/2 marathon (the same 1/2 marathon that Austin thought that we could do also, but when I asked about training his reply was "it's not that big of a deal, it's not like you really have to train..". Needless to say, we did not run the 1/2 marathon :)).

I stayed Sunday- Tuesday for a counseling conference. The conference was downtown at the Four Seasons. The pic of the Arch is the view from the conference terrace. I did not stay at the Four Seasons though. That was a tad out of the CPS budget. So, I found a hotel through Expedia that was about 1/2 mile away. The walk took me about 7 minutes each way, so not bad at all. My husband was NOT happy about this arrangement though. Before he left he wanted to buy me pepper spray. I told him that I would be fine. I even promised to take a cab (although it was ridiculously expensive for a 1/2 mile trip) if it was dark. I also made the promise to call him every time I was making the trip to/from the conference.

On Monday night I made a mistake. There is an underground tunnel (the Lumiere Link) that goes from street level near the Edward Jones Dome to the Four Seasons so you don't have to attempt to cross the street by I-70. Obviously, underground you don't get good cell reception. So, I promised Austin that I would call him as soon as I made it to the casino on the other side of the tunnel. But I forgot to call. I was distracted by figuring out where to meet Matt, another counselor who was at the conference with me, for dinner. About 20 minutes later, Matt and I are at dinner discussing all the new ideas we have for college admissions guidance at RB when Matt gets a call. From Austin. My phone was on vibrate in my purse so I didn't hear it. Oops. I hear Matt say "yeah, she's right here, do you want to talk to her?" Then he says "Okay. Yeah man, no problem". And hangs up. Matt tells me that Austin's reply to the question "do you want to talk to her?" was "No. I'm just glad." I felt so bad! I have the best husband in the world though. It's good to know that I'm so well taken care of...and cared about :)


Conference perk...lunch catered from The Hill on Monday! :) And cute/fancy edible desserts! Unfortunately, they looked way better than they tasted.


Our little tree (that I thought was dead) is alive! And blooming! It doesn't grow...but it blooms :)

Okay...that's all the randoms and rambings for now...I should probably get back to work ;)

Another random video

Fat Baby feeding Austin pancakes. Say "ahhhhh" :)

The making of...

Winter 2011

Do you ever have days where you're so busy that you just don't have the energy to formulate a coherent thought? I think that I have had a string of days like that. I call that string of days "the month of March".

I'd call it a funk, but it doesn't feel like a "funk". I associate "funks" with days of not showering while sitting on the couch in my pjs eating peanut butter from the jar, drinking diet coke straight from the 2 liter, and watching marathons of Grey's Anatomy or Gossip Girl.

So, no. It's not a "funk".

It's just that somehow my life is currently being lived in a time warp where I wake up in the morning and then suddenly it's time for bed. I know that there are things that go on in the "in between"-so many things, in fact, that I can't keep track of them all and find myself constantly wondering "where did the day go!?"- but my mind simply can't keep up with the pace (which may just be a statement about how slow my mind is and not about how busy the day is...).

And so, by the time I find a few moments of quiet at the end of the day, I do not have the energy to expend on anything more rigorous than watching an episode of Glee. Trust me. There is zero mental strain involved in watching an episode of Glee. It's fabulous.

Thus, unfortunately, there are no new pictures. There are lots of things I could probably write about. If I could recall them. But they're probably not that exciting anyway...Austin and I seeded and strawed the lawn yesterday! Whoo hoo!.

Yeah, okay,...not that thrilling.

Soo...here are some random videos from the days before March hit and I lost my mind :)

The Making of a Snow Fort:


Chili Mashing during the Making of Joe's Famous Salsa: (yeah, so the first half of the video cuts off poor Tim's head b/c I was focused on the chili mashing technique...whoops)

Steamboat

February 16-21, 2011

I'm a klutz. I walk into door frames. I have somersaulted down staircases and stumbled up them. I have tripped over nothing bigger than a snag in the carpet and slipped simply walking down the hallway. I fell off the treadmill at the gym once because I looked right and apparently, I can't turn my head and still continue to run in a straight line.

In junior high, I ate a PB sandwich and Cheetos almost every day for lunch. And almost everyday, I would have Cheeto dust on my fingers...and jeans...and in my bangs...and my eyebrows. My mom used to offer me a bib at meal time because it wasn't a matter of IF I would spill something on myself, but when, where, and how much of it. I was 22 and in graduate school when she made that offer.

Basically, I can pretty much be a walking disaster.

It's literally a miracle that I have never broken a bone.

It it because of my natural lack of grace and/or depth perception, that I have avoided certain activities that I was sure would only end with me in a coma. Or a body bag.

Activities like surfing...or roller blading...or dodge ball.

Or skiing.

Unfortunately, when your husband has been skiing since he was potty trained and his favorite place in the world is Steamboat, Colorado, the odds of NOT attempting to ski are slim to none.

And so, because I love my husband more than I love my own life and physical safety, I agreed to a ski trip to Steamboat over Presidents weekend.

The best news is...I'm still alive to blog about it! And I didn't even break anything :)

A few pics from the Steamboat Adventure!

Random mountain pick taken out of the car window on the way into Steamboat from the airport...


First stop in Steamboat (after a quick run into Westlakes for some sunglasses), Double Z for some BBQ and beverages! So delicious...




Seriously...how cool is a place that has a moose wearing a cowboy hat (or 3) on the wall??



Tim's 2 favorite Steamboat landmarks....F.M. Light and the Rabbit Ears Motel! :)


The famous Steamboat Barn (I grabbed the camera a little late on this one, so it's not the best shot of it, unfortunately)


The adorable little ski village area...



View of the mountain from the condo balcony..day and night...


My first time in ski boots! I was pretty sure that I was going to fall over and break something just attempting to walk in those suckers! They're insane! Now I understand why Austin always says one of his favorite feelings in the world is the feeling of taking them off after a long day of skiing! :)



My first time of skis! Austin was a great teacher! :)



Nothing is better after long days of skiing than a fabulous meal (especially when Austin is the one manning the grill!)...and we ate lots of delicious food in Steamboat!


Good food accompanied by great company...and Tim's new best friend ;)


The top of the mountain!!! I MADE IT!!! (although I did fall off the lift at the top) :) And can we all just take a moment to note how insanely sexy ski goggles are! :)

So, there you have it...I may be a huge klutz, but this klutz can ski!! :)

Are we almost caught up yet?

No?

Oh...well, here's a pic from Feb 15th (or somewhere in that general time period) at least...



and a few tossed in from the 22-25th also.



Yeah..this was one of those nights where I'm getting ready for bed and realized I haven't yet taken a picture. So we get photographic gold like this. Candles and pottery :)


So, it's all "wow" and "amazing" and "sooo cool" in the aftermath of Columbia's first blizzard in however long (if not ever?)...but then we hit a record high of 74 degrees in February and Mr. Beautiful Blizzard turns into Mr. Swamp in my Backyard! And this might not be half as bad if I didn't have 2 very large dogs who's playground is the back yard. Notice the pile of towels by the door? The one that Jeepers has decided is her new bed? Yeah...that pile is what we use to wipe the dogs feet off when they come in from tromping around out back. And I wash it once every 2 days or so. Awesome.


Austin gets a little indignant at times about what he considers to be ridiculous acts of affection. The 5 Love Languages are a prime example. We were at dinner with his family Thursday night and he got into a debate with Deonna about whether or not giving me back rubs was indeed a. necessary or b. truly demonstrated his love for me (of course, my answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes! and thank you to Deonna for having my back!! ;)) I think that Austin often questions things that he feels to be generic, cheezy, or superficial. To him, his love for me shouldn't be measured by something as small as a back rub. And I can see his point..but I also like Kyle's well stated fact that "if it makes your wife happy and makes her feel loved, then why not?" :)

SO...Friday morning on snow day #19283 for the year, Austin exaggeratedly catered to my every need.

He made breakfast.

He served me breakfast.

And when I asked for something to drink, he squeezed the oranges to make me juice! :)

And that's why I love him so much. Because he never does anything half way....

What happened to Feb 16-21 you may be wondering? Don't worry...it's coming :) That's a special block of time that deserves an entry all to itself :)

A hodge podge

Okay...so I took a little hiatus...I was sick, I went skiing, I got sick again...such is the roller coaster of my life.

But I'm back. And I'm going to be honest. I have no clue what pictures I have taken on what days...well, I have a clue about some of them. But most of them are just random shots that are on my camera or my phone...and looking back at some of them, I have no idea when I took them. Or why for a lot of them. But here they are...I am sure that I have missed a few days here and there. But such is life I suppose. I still give myself an A for effort :)

Pictures from sometime in the Feb 5-10 date range (I think.)

There's something nice about nights just spent hanging out on the couch watching a movie...especially when it's with my handsome husband :)




When Austin moved into my house post nuptials, most of his furniture stayed at A-Town. Big Red Checkered chair was a must bring though. I, being the accommodating wife that I am, allowed the chair to be placed in the living room despite the fact that it doesn't necessarily "go" with the decor because Austin was so insistent that it was his favorite chair. His one rule has been that no animals are allowed on Big Red. He has tried with zeal to keep the zoo from invading his space...but after months of him never sitting in his chair, and him letting Polo sleep in the guest bed, I figured "what the heck...". Besides, he looked too comfortable for me to make him move ;).


Dogs on top of the backyard snow mountain


I'm not sure exactly why I took these. I think I was playing around the B/W and sephia on my camera...who knows for sure though :)

February 11, 2011...our first trip to the BBQ trailer with Tim Reed. Sooo good. Get the smoked chicken. It will change your life. But get lots of napkins first.


February 12, 2011...Ethan's first MU basketball game. MU vs. OU at the Zou.



February 13..trip to the dog park with the kiddos


Some of these pics Austin took :)






Feb 14...oh Happy Valentine's Day. I walked into my office this morning to find tulips on my desk...I was so excited bc I thought surely they were from my amazing, attentive husband. Nope. They were from my boss for National Counselors' Week. Ha. BUT, I did receive a box of chocolate covered strawberries AND this awesome (kind of hilarious) basket of Valentine's Day goodness from my darling hubby. What a great day :)

Friday Pub Crawl

Friday February 4, 2011

Well...what else are a bunch of public school employees going to do on snow day #4? May as well start a pub crawl at 2:00 in the afternoon! :)