Just wanted to share...

The passage that I read today from my One Year Bible is from Romans and happens to be one of my favorites...thought it would be worth sharing!

(from Romans 12...July 29th excerpt)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will...

Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another and in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."

Jack ATTACK

(Apology:  Randy, my editor, has informed me that my posts are getting rather lengthy.  I will try to limit the rambling in the future, but no promises!)

As of late, Jack has come to think of Randy and I as "one of his own" in terms of trying to play and wrestle with us.  He has always been crazy, but I am beginning to think we have created a monster!  It used to just be my legs that got the beating, but the pictures below show that he now feels no restraint in pawing our faces...yes, faces.

     SWEET (above) and SOUR (below)(Look closely at this one...his back legs are getting my face while his claws have my hair.)

Also, I just recently found (well, someone found for me) my camera that got lost back in April.  I thought I'd put up the long forgotten pictures of Easter Sunday and my friend Sarah Kate's bridesmaids' luncheon. Jack investigating his first Easter Package from his grandparents.

Hartman's 1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt (in our apartment)...Randy won!  Jack still finds eggs.

Jessi, me, Allie, and Anna Grace and the yummy luncheon.

Me and the Bride...who now lives in Australia.  (I made that dress!)

Weekend in Nashville

This past Monday, Randy had his first big test of his second year of dental school and didn't experience fresh air for three days.  What did that mean for me?

A trip to Nashville of course.  (Just to make some of you feel better, I don't just go off and desert my husband, he actually gets better studying in.  And I make sure he has plenty of food to eat, clean laundry, and of course, Jack, while I am gone.)

I left for Nashville on Thursday and went to PM with my sister that night. 

 Ahhh, good sushi, good talks, and good weather on Belmont Boulevard.  We had a great time sitting out on the patio and catching up...we shared these crab wontons that were to die for!!!

I got home that night and spent some time with my dad (mom was in Florida with her girlfriends) who was glad to have his "little buddy" home.  He showed me the progress on the master shower that he has been working on.  He has already tiled the floor himself...I don't know how or where he got so many handyman skills but I am quite envious of them.  On Friday morning my friend Anna Grace came over and we hiked in my parents neighborhood; the reason I say "hike" and not "walk" is because their neighborhood has more hills than all of Memphis.  

Friday night I went to Urban Flats with some of my bests..AG, Julianna, and Jessi.  And, I confess, we shopped a little at Urban Outfitters before....it was a very "urban" night all in all.  Dinner was fabulous (the menu is all flatbreads, which I love,love,love) and we saw about half of Lipscomb which was fun.  I love hearing the Nashville drama since the only drama I have in Memphis deals with middle schoolers and makes me feel pretty pathetic.  

Saturday was lake day.  I cannot go to Nashville in July and not go to the lake...it is just not possible.  My dad and I went along with Alex, my cousin on my dad's side who had never been wakeboarding before and tore it up.  Seriously, she got up on the second try and perfected it.  We took the Explorer which is not well suited for towing a speed boat...I have never smelled more burnt rubber in my life.  The boat, however, treated us very well and we had an amazing day, although it was the only cold day of the whole summer.

Sunday was an experience.  My dad and I drove to Cookeville to attend church at the nursing home with my Lulu.  She was so happy to see us and her and my dad talked loudly while everyone else was singing and confused.  The people that sang and spoke did a great job going on with normal "church" business while the phone was ringing, machines were beeping, and wheelchairs were getting closer and closer.  After the service, we sat with her while she ate lunch.  The table consisted of Lulu, my dad, me, a woman who was excused after throwing up on her bib, a daibetic woman who wouldn't eat anything but her dessert, and a jolly woman named Margie who made me laugh harder than anyone in a long time.  Despite how sad it is to see these people who have lived such wonderful, rich lives now living in a nursing home, there is some humor to be found in it all.  Margie critiqued the turkey and dressing meal for a solid 40 minutes, telling us exactly how she would have cooked it and why she wouldn't eat it.  She would talk even when everyone else was having separate conversations, going over recipes and such.  She argued with the nurse til she was blue in the face, finally giving in to eating by inhaling the strawberry shortcake and sweet tea.  The whole scene was just priceless, I wish it could be explained better in words.

That night I went to Ethos at the Cannery Ballroom, the church that Dave (the man that did our wedding) has started and which has quickly spread to hundreds of people.  I got to eat some of the famous SATCO queso before going home and hearing all about my mom's trip to Florida.  Monday I went on a hike with Michelle (my belle) at Radnor Lake, one of my most favorite places in Nashville.  Finished the day by eating salmon and salad with my parents on the deck.

The trip came to an inevitable end after meeting up with another friend, Katie, at Starbucks.  

Now that I caught up with all my friends and have spent all my money, it's time for the real world to sink in and start getting ready for my second year of teaching.

It's been good while it's lasted.

Happy Birthday to EWE!

A birthday post to a dear friend...

Rarely ever does someone come into your life in Kindergarten and stick around for 19 years. I am extremely lucky to say that some of my best friends to this day were right there with me learning our ABC's. Actually, some even date back to pre-K 3. Well, either Kelsey was too cool for me in pre-K 3 or I was too cool for her. Either way, we didn't become pals until Kindergarten, and a couple years later I remember staying up all night in her attic reading books so that we could win the Read-A-Thon that the school was hosting. We didn't win, but that's not the point.

Those of you that know me know that I have quite an imagination and a "creative" sense of humor. Kelsey is the only one I know that shares that humor with me. Kelsa and Lynsa have been friends now through it all...playing "elevator" with my car seats when I first got my license, getting lost on purpose, flying down "Speed Bump" Road, and other scary car stories. It's amazing we didn't get killed. Then there is Cross Country and Track. Never did two slackers enjoy running together as much as we did. We would do everything we could to get out of running some days...whether it was running to a friends house, drinking lemonade, then having them drive us back to the school's campus....or running out of sight and then playing on the playground til the allotted time was up. When I was at Lipscomb and she was at Belmont, we stepped on a plate and shouted "Mazel Tov!"the first night in her new house as roomates. She actually was the one to convince me of going on a formal with Randy which in turn led to our marriage...(okay, maybe that is a little of a stretch, but who knows what would have happened if I didn't go)

Anyways, I have been truly blessed to have grown up with so many of the friends I have today. With me now in Memphis and Kelsey jetsetting between Nashville, LA, and New York for her job, we don't have as many adventures but we do have just as strong of a friendship.

From the handwritten quote book she gave to me years ago...

"A friend is someone who knows all about you, and still likes you."

Happy Birthday, Kelsa!

The ONE YEAR Mark

I'm guessing that if you are reading this blog, then you were a part of the extremely hot wedding ceremony that took place one year from yesterday.  Well, believe it or not, Memphis is even hotter.  So it is only fitting that...

Randy and I have just celebrated one year of marriage!  (This time we were smart and made no outdoor plans.)

Since the trip to Mexico was the "big" celebration, we had a pretty low-key day.  We decided that Arby's had to be our anniversary meal since that is where we ate on our wedding night.  You see...after an absolutely gorgeous, hot day, it started pouring on us as we were driving down the interstate in the convertible.  As we got to the hotel, we realized we hadn't eaten anything but a bite of cake, had no "to go" boxes, and the GoTen restaurant at the bottom of the hotel was closed.  So what did we spend our time doing?  Walked to Arby's in the rain, begged the people to give us food even though they were about to close, listened to 'Walking in Memphis' playing in the restaurant, and then ate our combo meals while watching Sports Center.  Sounds pretty glamorous, huh?  Randy was elated last week when he saw the commercial that Arby's now has a $5 combo meal, and that he was getting off the hook and not having to dress up to take me to some fancy restaurant.  (By the way, I don't think the boy has worn a single tie all year, so it really would have been a hard thing for him to do.)  We went to Arby's after church, then came home and unwrapped the cake.  Oh....the cake....

Whoever wrapped up our cake--you know who you are!--left the live orchids in the cake, complete with the clear little water tubes and everything.  So when I unwrapped the cake, there was a not-so pleasant smell and coffee-bean-brown flowers on top.  I still ate some (not the top) and it surprisingly tasted good, but I couldn't convince Randy.  I can't really blame him because Mexico is still trying to live inside his stomach.  Anyways, I spent the next three hours making grapefruit and buttermilk cupcakes from scratch.  Randy loves grapefruit and I've always wanted to make the recipe, but it consists of cupcakes from scratch, grapefruit compote, a buttermilk frosting recipe, then topped with candied grapefruit (which I also made from scratch)!  In the end....WAY too much frosting!  But good.  We ate our cupcakes, drank sparkling grape juice out of my fancy glasses, and watched our wedding video (mostly in fast forward).  

Because the first anniversary gift is paper and Mexico was our big gift to ourselves, we went with only cards.  Of course, they were both homemade.  I wrote a poem...Randy made a puzzle for me to put together from clues on pieces of cut paper.  The message?  It had something to do with our "Hartman Family Motto" which is about as cheesy as it gets, but here it goes-- "Two Peas in a God Pod".

This year has been so crammed full of "firsts"--Memphis, dental school, teaching, being married, trying to get away from an argument in a one bedroom apartment, new compromises, new payments, taking in a "slumcat", cooking new recipes, making new friends, etc.  Everything has been so exciting and has felt like another marked milestone.  Because I was so consumed with wedding details, I didn't think too much about actually moving away from family and friends before the wedding.  But looking back on this past year, moving away is the best thing we could have done.  Now don't get me wrong, I have missed my family and friends more than anything...but together, Randy and I have shared everything and grown so much in our relationship.  I think there is something to be said for being by yourselves for a while, and it has been a huge growing opportunity.  Our marriage has strengthened through the good times and bad times of the past year, and our differences have become the means of helping one another.  We have also challenged our faith together and questioned what a marriage in Christ should look like.  With all that we have learned and experienced in this first year, it may sound strange...but I am kinda relieved that the first year is over.  I have always been one to do better in a familiar, comfortable setting.  I am content with a life that some would think is a complete bore, and I am really looking forward to a year with (hopefully) less surprises and more everyday memories.  Like I said, everything from this past year has felt like another accomplished "first", so now we get to work on all the little, small things...the details.  And I love details.

Two (very different) Goodbyes

As soon as you guys read these two names you will probably exit out of my blog and never return again...but the first goodbye is to Michael Jackson.  Now I have never been a huge fan (although recently I have been remembered just how many of his songs I love to sing to) but Randy and I got to see an amazing tribute show in Mexico, that seemed more like a concert for the not-dead-but-living-in-Cancun superstar.  This guy (we never saw him up close) had MJ down to a "t"--the look, the voice (only talking, he lip synched the songs), and especially the dancing.  It was one of those strange things to realize that your brain still remembers every word to songs like "Thriller", "Black and White" and the infamous "Will You Be There" from Free Willy...I could just picture Joshua Jackson holding up his hand as Willy jumps over him to be freed into the ocean...haha.  Here's one of the videos with a solo (Randy asked me to not overwhelm you with all of them):

On a much more personal note, we had to say goodbye to our first couple-friend moving out of Memphis.  The great thing about Med/Dental school and our apartment complex is that we have met many friends and had some great memories from dinners and especially game nights.  The bad thing about making friends in this condition is that it is inevitable that everyone will move at one point, and most likely to different areas.  Russ and Heather are the first, and they are moving to Knoxville for Russ to finish his medical rotations.  They have two cats, and although them and Jack didn't get along as friends, our love for cats has made us close.  We've had road trips to Nashville, barbeque with them at Central (they were actually the first to introduce us) and Jerry's as of recently.  They have become very good friends and it is going to be so weird without them.  I know Heather will miss trying to help the girls win on game night, they will both miss little Jack, and we will miss them!  We wish them the best...

Hartmans in Mexico

Beautiful, beautiful sunset at the resort on second night.

Randy finally opened up a coconut, which was perfectly ripe.

The buildings at the Grand, where we stayed.

Beach shot.  Not the prettiest day.

          Rainbow over the ocean after the rain...God's gift.

This past week, Randy and I jetted off to Cancun, Mexico to stay at the all-inclusive resort, Moon Palace.  We had planned this trip back in the spring, and it was such a blessing, and a perfect way to celebrate being married for a year (well, it's actually this coming Sunday).  We knew we wanted to go all-inclusive because of how happy we were with the Sandals that we went to in St. Lucia for our honeymoon.  What we didn't know, however, was how much nicer this place was going to be.  If anyone is wanting to plan a trip to Mexico, I would definitely recommend a Palace resort...they have one in most of the big traveling spots in Mexico.  

When we arrived to the resort (we stayed in the Grand section...the whole resort has three sections plus golf villas, all of which are huge) the bell boys took our bags and handed us pina coladas and two flowers for me.  We got our room keys and walked into an awesome room...decorated so modern, clean, and relaxing.  We were pretty amazed at how nice of a room we got- there are pictures of it in the slideshow.  Right off the bat, we went to the little Mexican restaurant by the pool and ordered chips, guacamole, and chicken fajitas....and we just sat in paradise!

Here is what our daily schedule consisted of- breakfast (we woke up pretty early, like 8) at one of the buffet restaurants (one morning we had room service)...three of the six days we worked out (looking back I wish we had made this a daily ritual)...back to the room to put on our suits and lather on the sunscreen...go to either the pool or beach...dry off for lunch, a different restaurant each day...more pool, then the best part...siestas (that's a nap) before dinner.  We had a lot of fun choosing which restaurants we would go to for dinner.  Our favorite (and the only place we went to twice) was Los Caporales, the mexican a la carte place with live music.  I guess it makes sense that mexican food might be good in Mexico.  I looooved getting the queso fundido (cheese dip with chorizo) and loved eating Chicken Mole too (chocolate is in the recipe, need I say more?).  I also discovered that I am quite fond of Sangria...red wine, lemonade, and fruit.  I want to try making it here at home if Randy will ever let me spend the money for it :).  We also loved the oriental restaurants, mainly because I could eat all the sushi I wanted.  Randy liked the meat they served, like beef skewers with all the different sauces for dipping.  After each meal (which consisted of complimentary appetizer, picked appetizer(s), salad/soup sometimes, main course), the servers always loved to bring out their "no calorie" menu...of desserts.  That joke never got old to them!  They brought out a plate of desserts that you could eat, then let you pick which one you wanted to order...so by the end you were really eating about four desserts a night!  Those of you that know me well know that I am very passionate about food.  I really took advantage of the all-you-can-eat, but was wise with my decisions.  I made sure to pick the chef's signature dishes as much as possible to try new things, and it was delicious.  One of my favorite meals was coconut grouper with spinach mashed potatoes at El Caribeno.  Randy got the roasted lamb leg that night which was delicious too.  The room service deal was pretty awesome too, ordering mini cheeseburgers and cheese quesadillas before our siestas.  To explain to you how much I ate, I was in one of the best shapes of my life before the trip, and gained four pounds in no time! (It was worth it) 

The entertainment at night was awesome.  We went to a Las Vegas show, Caribbean show, and Michael Jackson show.  The Las Vegas show and Caribbean show were like watching 'Dancing with the Stars' in person, with elaborate costumes and dances like the Salsa, Samba,  Tango, Mambo, etc.  The MJ show was definitely the best, and Randy has requested a whole post about it so that I can post the videos he so eagerly took.

The downfall of this trip, which didn't bring our spirits down much due to everything else we were able to do, was that we didn't get to snorkle, something we both LOVE to do (and hopefully will get certified to scuba dive one day).  The beach was also very full of seaweed on our particular beach, but still pretty to look at.  The seaweed didn't stop us from taking a try at windsurfing and also going kayaking.  We also got to go to Wet-n-Wild, the waterpark in Cancun.  The slides were a lot of fun, and Randy and I definitely got our workout that day running up all the stairs.  The best slide was one that was a twisting tunnel slide that shot you out into what looked like a toilet bowl and after spinning around, finally "pooped" you out into the pool below.  We participated in a relay competition in the wavepool with a paddle and one person tube...and were on our way to winning in the finals but I was nice and didn't clobber the kids that were in the way (the other guy had no mercy and won the race).  Back at the resort, we used the mini golf course and had lots of fun together.  

Everywhere we went was just gorgeous...the colors of the beach in contrast with the white sand, the many tiki huts around the turquoise blue pools, the palm trees, the scenic views when riding on the golf carts, even the views out the windows at restaurants.  We had some really fun people-watching too, since this wasn't a "couples only" resort.  I have never seen more tattoos in my entire life...it became a game to see who could spot the best tattoos.  The workers were extremely nice and all had a great sense of humor.  We really enjoyed talking to our waiters each night, and hearing the live music...saxophone, piano, harp, banjo, guitar, violin.  It really was such an amazing trip, we were so spoiled, and the best part was that it was just us...

If you want to see more of the trip than just the pics above, you're in luck..here's the slideshow.