monday's memory: the one with the bachelorette party

have i mentioned that i have amazing friends?
and they throw a pretty kick-awesome party.

my maid of honor asked if i wanted to know what she was planning or if i wanted to be surprised.  i told her i trusted her completely, that they could use our house if need be, and the dates i was free.

that was IT.

since she was temporarily living a few states away, she recruited the other girls to help with the planning and execution.  to this date, i don't know whose idea was what, so just know...my girls ROCK.

on the day of the party, i was asked to be out of the house for the majority of the afternoon, and to stay in communication with the girls on my way home.  they literally came and met me in the driveway with a homemade iced coffee, and blindfolded me.

i was led upstairs (i'll spare you all the butt shots of this part) where i was able to change clothes and get ready (they also brought me some champagne...the beverages kept flowing so i was entertained and happy!) plus, the girls had to change and get ready too, so i was soon joined upstairs

at one point there were four girls in my master bathroom putting on makeup together.  and one pissed-off kitty hiding from the mayhem!

the girls then disappeared down the stairs, and eventually i was led out of my bedroom.

i walked down the stairs and immediately was told to remove my boots

and given bracelets to put on

oh, and i had a "veil" to wear the entire evening.

the downstairs area of the house had been transformed

all furniture was covered in colorful fabric, and extra seating had been created along the window with huge throw pillows.

i even had a "throne" complete with canopy.

there was an amazing food table spread with all sorts of yummy looking things.

they had even incorporated anthony's glass animals into the decor, including this very hungry hippo!

people started gathering in, and once most people were there we were invited to dig in to the buffet.  it was then i realized that these girls who know me so well had brought nearly all the food at my favorite grocery -- trader joe's.  unfortunately, i discovered a couple of new favorite foods that night that are now staples!

we milled around, snacked and chatted for awhile and then i began opening gifts.  i'll leave out the details there, but you can imagine...

gift time was interrupted by the arrival of "someone"...which was my only moment of slight panic.

but the person walked in and immediately started handing out scarves.  she was a belly dance instructor, and that's what we spent the next bit of the party doing -- learning a few belly dance basics!

 and took time for some group shots.  fun group of awesome ladies!

she was amazing, and fun.  now that laura (my maid of honor) is back in town we have mad plans to start taking her classes a couple of times a month.  a fitness class that anthony supports fully, haha!

three of the girls stayed overnight, so there was much more fun (and other crazy late-night photos) to be had even after most of the guests left.

all in all my bachelorette party was exactly what i wanted -- time spent with amazing girls, and lots of laughter.  the gifts were amazing (and all fit!), but the time spent with these girls who i dearly love was the best part of the night.

recipe of the week: taboulli salad

i love (LOVE) a good, fresh salad
and tabouli
(or taboule, tabbouleh, tabouleh, taboulli...whatever)
has always been a favorite of mine
(well, since i discovered trader joe's version of it...)


i had a hair and makeup trial run on tuesday this week
and 3 of my girls came to get their hair done too
so i decided to have a little spread of hummus and fresh veggies for them.
then i decided to make tabouli salad, serve pita as well and even throw in some frozen falafel for fun


it turned out fairly well*, even though i did have to substitute couscous for the bulghur most recipes i found called for.


here's my spin on it!

1 package fresh parsley
1 package fresh mint
1/2 cup uncooked couscous
juice of 2 limes
1 medium/large tomato
1 scallion
1 clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil


cook couscous according to package directions


mince parsley and mint (this is easily the most labor-intensive part of cooking this.  it's ri-diculous.  thank goodness for kitchen tools like the herb roller i have!)

it will easily take you the entire couscous preparation time to mince the herbs.  so once they are done, add the lime juice to the couscous.

dice the tomato, chop the scallion

add the parsley, mint and tomato to the lime and couscous mixture.  grate a clove of garlic over the mix and pour the olive oil in as the finishing touch. 

  combine well.  refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

simple...yummy.  and money saving.  i made about 4 times as much tabbouli for the price i would have paid for it even at trader joe's.  i can deal with that!














*it actually turned out well enough that my friend Natasha said "it's better than trader joe's!"


which i'm pretty sure could be considered blasphemy in some circles.

Thursday's Ten: MORE!

has anyone else felt that air of excitement yet?
it's a different feeling than i've ever felt at a simple flip of the calendar
it's...more anticipation.  more amazement.  more delight.
i can't explain it...but in talking to some of my friends i know i'm not alone in this.

i've decided on my word of the year.
more

it's not a material thing at ALL.
more of a spiritual, relational, and well-being thing.

and here's what i want more of in 2011

1.  God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  MORE -- way, way MORE.
2.  healthy habits.  more water, more veggies, more fruit, more sleep, more exercise
3.  more provision, more opportunities to make money while still allowing me to continue investing in people that i love
4.  more opportunities to give, more money to tithe, more ways to help
5.  more time with anthony, more time spent in purposeful love and connection
6.  more trips to see family (his and mine), more time spent with loved ones here
7.  more girlfriend time.  more cell group, more chick flicks, more glasses of wine, more mojitos, more road trips
8. more communication with those i love via face to face, phone, email, facebook, text...whatever way keeps me in touch!
9.  more writing, more reading, more reflecting
10.  more opportunities to practice and use the gifts that God has blessed me with. 

what do you want more of this year?  join me in believing that there is MORE to be had in 2011.  as one of my friends said the other night: "2011...open heaven".  meaning it's right there ready to drop down.  come ON!

monday's memory: the one with the (cold) girlfriends

it was a chilly night, january of 2009
meghan and laura and i ventured out on the town to enjoy some live music
(nashville has plenty of that!)
and stopped to pose for a quick picture outside mercy lounge

i love time with my girlfriends.
:0)