Well, my first-ever Thanksgiving turkey has been bought. It's currently staying frozen on the garage floor of my in-laws house as a mild winter storm keeps the room at a cozy 24 degrees.

It's a little intimidating to be thinking about cooking my first turkey for a Thanksgiving meal, I'll admit. All my life, I have been surrounded by fantastic cooks at the holidays. My mother, grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law....all are whizzes in the kitchen and can seriously produce a delicious meal. For the last 10 years or more, it has been tradition for the Tuercranians to gather together and feast at Thanksgiving. Those ladies lay out a spread that allows us to feast for days upon days. I. Love. It.

When college started drawing to a close, and then when I was on my own in Raleigh, I was able to still enjoy these family feasts, thanks to a willingness to drive 14 hours so I didn't have to cook. A month after Adrian and I got married, I had a mild panic attack at the thought of having to conjure up a Thanksgiving meal for my brand-new husband all on my own. The panic fueled us to drive 6 1/2 hours to ride with my parents 9 hours to St. Louis, just so we wouldn't miss family Thanksgiving and so I wouldn't have to learn to cook a turkey.

Last year, our second Thanksgiving together, we were blessed to be invited to join friends from church and their family, so again, I was spared the horror of hosting Thanksgiving. I contributed a pumpkin cheesecake and called it a day. We enjoyed the week of Thanksgiving feasting on soups for the two of us and watching a Harry Potter marathon.

This year.....I've got my game face on already. As we've settled into our new home and our new life in Denver, we've had the opportunity to meet a TON of people who are as far from home as we are. Recognizing that it's way more fun to be alone together, Adrian and I are throwing caution to the wind. I'm rising to the challenge. All these little Thanksgiving "orphans" will be extended an opportunity to come and experience first-hand a potential Thanksgiving meltdown at he VanderHouse, courtesy of yours truly. Denver friends, if you need a place to spend Thanksgiving, consider yourself invited to the fiesta!

I have no idea how to thaw a turkey, cook a turkey, clean a turkey, stuff a turkey...I'm turkey-illiterate. But, with a week and a half to learn the ins and outs of turkey-making, I'm confident something will get figured out. Right?So....umm....any tips?

Either way, everyone knows the best part of Thanksgiving isn't the turkey. It's the family, friends and thankfulness, but mostly the stuffing and mashed potatoes and pie. I'm confident my friends will pull through :)

When I sat down to write this, I saw that my husband is a more consistent blogger than I am. What? Adrian blogs? Who knew?

Actually he doesn't, except for one time a year: our anniversary. Last year he hijacked my blog with a sweet video to me. This year, he tried to do the same, except that the video was huge and couldn't be uploaded. Thus, he is a more consistent blogger than I am - even if it didn't actually end up on the blog. He recorded the video and tried to upload it to share w/ everyone - that's what matters :)

Seeing his blog post in the queue reminded me that another anniversary tradition that is not consistent at the moment - OUR anniversary video. All growing up, my parents and grandparents used to get together and do a video at Christmas about what the previous year held. I wanted us to do that same tradition so our kids could watch us someday and be inspired by the wisdom we possess at such young ages....or laugh at our style, whichever. But, as I sat down to write this post and saw Adrian's video post in the queue, I was reminded that WE DID NOT DO OUR UPDATE VIDEO!! I reminded him of this the day before our anniversary, on our anniversary, the day after our anniversary, both days of the weekend after the anniversary...you see how it goes. Today is Monday. This ordeal started LAST week at this time. I just mentioned doing our video to Adrian (as we have friends over to watch sports), he's working tomorrow night, so perhaps Wednesday. An entire week after I wanted to do it.

Have I ever mentioned we procrastinate sometimes?

On the subject of our anniversary, we had a lovely time celebrating last weekend, thankyouverymuch. We had a little weekend getaway to Monument/Colorado Springs. This year, it was MUCH more difficult to find a good deal on a hotel. We knew we wanted to head West or South - Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains or Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods. Due to the fact that the places within our budget in Estes Park were ALL decorated like a pioneer museum, we opted to go for the nicer hotel in Monument. We stayed at the Sundance Mountain Lodge and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was quiet, they gave me free margaritas :) and our little patio looked over the pretty waterfall and creek in the courtyard.

During the days, we went hiking at Garden of the Gods and worked through some ministry assessments with the hope of figuring out what the rest of our lives hold....Um. That didn't happen. Monday, as we were leaving the hotel and starting out for breakfast and home, reality hit like a bucket of ice water. Literally. It went from beautiful and sunny to about 38 and sleeting. Kind of reminded me of the week before our wedding when the weather was nasty and depressing and not encouraging for an impending outdoor ceremony.

Our actual anniversary dawned lovely and sunny and...early. I had to go to work (boo) but Adrian and I had a lunch AND dinner date together - pizza, a cinnamon roll and then Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Also in honor of our 2nd anniversary, Adrian wore his wedding suit, during lunch we heard the song I walked down the aisle to, and we got a flat tire - just like the first day of our marriage. It was a nostalgic day :)

So, now that we're into year 2, all I can say is - I. LOVE. THAT. MAN. The Lord has blessed me SO much with an amazing husband, an amazing marriage and a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful example of the Perfect Husband and Perfect Marriage to aspire to.

Now, if we could just aspire to making these traditional anniversary videos actually HAPPEN, then we'd be set...

I wish I could come up with some clever way to say, "I'm a fair-weather blogger and I'm sorry. Please still read me? :) "

As it is, here's an update and some thoughts on life in Denver.

1) Fall is here. It is GLORIOUS. We woke up two Saturdays ago (the last before I started my job) and discovered it was only going to hit 70 degrees and there was a delicious, fall-like bite in the air. The day before, we had laid in the sunshine and played in the river in the mountains and enjoyed the end of summer. That Saturday (the 3rd of September) ushered in a new season - literally and figuratively.

2) The Tuesday after Labor Day I started my new job at Ashford University. It was exactly four years to the day that I had started at Southeastern in 2007. Although I was excited to start back to work (let's be real: to start getting paychecks again!) I was sad to see the summer go. From the end of June to the beginning of September, we had a fantastic summer. We moved out of our first home in Raleigh, spent time in my hometown, did a cross-country road-trip, found a new home in Denver, spent some time in A's hometown, hosted both of his parents and my mom (all separately) in the span of three weeks, and explored and got to know our new city. And then: work. Hello mornings, computers, offices and bosses. It had been a while. Although the transition is/was rough, it's been good and a good growing experience for me. I think the Lord is using my job to teach me self-discipline in new ways, as well as to teach me to rely on His strength and not my own.

3) Friday was the last day of training with Ashford, and although I was glad to see "real-life" start - you could not have told that by my face! I cried for a while as soon as training was over and I was on my own at my desk....I blame it on being overwhelmed and on having slept poorly most of the week. I think I freaked my new boss, my trainer and most of my teammates out. Good thing I had brought homemade brownies to bribe them into thinking I'm actually cool.

4) Sleep is becoming more and more important to me. I walk to and from the office, about 2 1/2 miles round trip, and while there, I'm being mentally challenged and stimulated. Not to mention, I get to eat lunch with A most days, as I work in the heart of downtown (where food is expensive) where he spends his mornings studying. That means lunch is no longer watching TV shows but studying with him and going over what he learned that morning.

5) I've been able to meet some fun people already through work - something I'm super-excited about. We went out for drinks after work Friday, although I did not partake. A) Vodka shots. Yuck. B) Dill pickle vodka shots. Quadruple yuck. I was not interested in that! A couple of my new coworkers came to the VanderHouse for dinner, drinks and football last night. Good times :) I'm looking forward to getting to know them and my new teammates more!

6) We have also started volunteering with a Bhutanese refugee family. As our City Group's intentional, missional project, we are mentoring this family for their first 6 months in the States. So...after work/non-drinks Friday night, A and I went to their house to help them create a budget, learn to use/fix some kitchen appliances and start them on the journey to learn English. It's also mentally tough, but exhilarating. I'm thankful the Lord has paired us with this family, and thankful for the friendships we're developing with them!

I think that's about all I have to say for now. It's been a hard, but good, few weeks. I am learning more and more about my identity in Christ, his love and grace and my response to the generosity He has shown. I'm exhausted, but thankful for how He is stretching me and deepening my faith. What's going on your world? We only have internet via my phone/tether to the computer, so I'm not as free to read blogs as I used to be!

Over the long Memorial Day weekend, I got a chance to take my new camera out for a spin and do my first-ever photo shoot! It was HOT, HOT, HOT (and I'm not just talking about the good-looking soon-to-be parents), and we were all melting a few minutes in. That's Memorial Day weekend in the South, I guess. Mid 90s (even at 7:15) and humidity thick enough to bathe in.

However, Anthony and Stephanie were such good sports. Steph and I have been friends since college, when she and I bonded over a love of boys and fear of heights one January. We lived together a semester, then she moved off and got married. When I got married, she was one of my bridesmaids, since she and her husband had moved to NC by that point. They have been such good friends to us, and I'm so excited for them to become parents to little Amos! They're going to do great. They're in a similar boat as we are (although, plus bebe, obviously). Like us, they're in a transition time as they're getting ready to move (before the birth? After?) to Murfreesboro, TN to help start City Church.

Before we move, and before they move, and before she doesn't feel like moving around as much, we all wanted to go out and have a little maternity session! Since it was my first time, I'm really thankful they were such good sports - going to an abandoned building, sitting in awkward positions and maneuvering around whenever the fancy struck me. I have a ways to go with my skills, but I was pleased with the results of this first shoot.Thanks for being patient with me, being flexible (seriously! You amazed me, Steph) and letting me try and capture these final days before Amos arrives in July.

Love you guys!

P.S. Check out their album I put up on Facebook.

High-speed travel it was not, but a long slow day on the train was just what the doctor ordered.

Unless the tick that bit me and maybe gave me Lyme Disease was on the train - in that case, the doctor probably would have advised me to stay off the train. But I don't think it happened that way.

Last Thursday was Train Day. Although I didn't have a jaunty little hat, and although the train wasn't decked out in mahogany, it had a charm all its own. I felt like I saw a slice of Americana that I don't often see: tiny towns that are straight from 1950, historic theater buildings, family graveyards randomly set in the middle of a field, little bakeries with $.85 cupcakes (yum!) and people who ride the train - not on a whim - but as a way of life.

There was a dark-haired, dark-eyed little girl with her mother on the first train. As they settled in to eat the sandwiches they had brought, she whispered, "This feels like a dream. A lovely dream."

I agree. It was a little bit magical, with the sunshine racing between the trees along the tracks, the conductors who wore their blue hats proudly and the anticipation of an adventure, stretching out before us. Here's my attempt to share the lovely little dream with you. Enjoy.

Downtown Raleigh

All aboard!

On my way to Wilson.

This man had a jaunty little hat on :)

Graveyard on the homestead.

Wilson train station

Lovely mural inside the otherwise fairly ghetto station.

My Canon's battery died somewhere in the station and naturally, I didn't have my charger. I'm thankful for my phone, though, which allowed me to keep capturing the memories, albeit at a lower quality.

Historic theater in Dillon.

Off the back of the train.

Last but not least, a little video I made of the journey. Hopefully it loads :)

It's been a crazy week of looking ahead. I'm sorry to say I've done a bad job of being all here and focusing only on what today holds. Instead, I've been looking a lot to the future and panicking because I don't have all the answers and because I don't always like what it looks like.

Here's a brief glimpse into what lies ahead and what consumes my thoughts this week:

Florida. I'm leaving in the morning for nine days for a trip to "the homeland" for work. I say "the homeland" because Florida is where I was born and spent the first nine and a half years of my life. Although I'm heading to Tampa (close to where I'm from), we'll also spend half the time in Miami - a city I've never been to. I'm really sad (REALLY) to be leaving my amazing husband and sweet pooch for so long, but I am excited to get to visit Miami before we leave the East Coast. Also on the Florida horizon is a trip two weeks later so A can officiate the wedding of a good friend from college. We'll be hitting up a different area of the state for that, so at least I won't be in the same place too long...I may see more of Florida than my own state this month! Ok, not really, 12 days versus 19 days, but it's close.

Also on the horizon - the move to Denver. I'm pretty bummed about not getting to spend the week with the rest of the team this week as 13 of them visit Colorado and look for jobs, housing, etc. and learn all about our new city. So, with that said, A and I have been looking together for housing options, and we've begun considering buying a house. Incidentally, it started with this awesome condo we both really like, but may have stopped with the awesome condo as the implications of not being able to sell it/having to be landlords has weighed on us. What are your thoughts on condo ownership? A good thing? A bad thing? Something worth looking into?? Thinking about buying has led us to take look after look at our finances and recognize that I NEED A JOB out there. Regardless of whether we buy or rent, I'm going to need a solid income in order for us to pay down debts and live on mission in the city. Please join us in praying for the Lord's direction on all things Denver.

To give you another glimpse into our life, April could be way busy too with trips to SC, my mom-in-law in town and a trip West to look for a home and a job (I suppose the order should be flipped). June I'll be in Arizona for the SBC and maybe moving our stuff.....So May, here's looking at you kid. Right now, you look like a welcome month of rest. So there you go. Here WE go. Hang on - it's going to be a crazy ride.

Well, it's the day after Valentine's. Dare I mention it at all? I know the concept of Valentine's is a tough pill for many to swallow - I'm pretty sure it was for me when I was single. It's funny now, on this side of marriage, how my view has changed. Before, February 14 was a day of bitterness, when I imagined all the couples were happily celebrating their love by staring adoringly into one another's eyes and feeding each other chocolate mousse (of course food was on my mind ;) and a steady diet of kisses.

Reality? It's not really like that. Of course, my husband is an incredible man, so it wasn't that the day or weekend passed unnoticed, but on this side of the altar Valentine's seems like a bit of a cop out to me. He made me funfetti brownies with frosting, and built a fort (ahem* excuse me -  a canopy bed) in our living room, and bought me Reese's hearts, and took me out for frozen yogurt at Sweet Spoons (!), but it wasn't the box of chocolates and fancy dinner and dozens of roses that culture leads you to believe define Valentine's Day. On this side of the altar, I can confidently say that when you marry someone who seeks to serve and love you well every day of the year, V-Day is fun.....but not much different than other days. We went out for Mexican (I promise - we were the ONLY couple in the restaurant, unless you count the Daddy-Daughter Date going on), I had a migraine, and we went to bed early. See? Typical.

To place so much expectation and hope on one day of the year as the day for TRUE romance is a recipe for disappointment, I'd say. When marriage and relationships are based around the gospel, we recognize that you can't go 364 days lacking love and wooing and expect that one day a year to make up for it. To pin such hopes on Valentine's Day is to crush it - and your husband - under the weight of immense pressure. When those expectations of passion and romance on February 14 aren't met, it says to me you either have seriously out of wack expectations or you have a seriously out of wack husband. Men - are you constantly loving your wives as Christ loves the church or are you expecting that one day of romance is enough to make up for a year without? Wives - are you creating huge, unattainable expectations of Valentine's Day or allowing your men to be slackers by not wooing you 365? Singles - are you bitterly viewing Valentine's Day because you don't have romantic love in your life? Jesus Christ is your husband. He longs to love and woo you FAR better than anyone can do. It's not Singles Awareness Day - it's a day to celebrate the love of the Father that he has lavished upon you in the sacrifice of his son. It's a day to celebrate the love you DO have in your life of friends and family (our man-child kind of freaked out yesterday when I wished him a happy V-Day. Seriously? Chill. We love you. Platonically. Accept it. Duh.)

Is Valentine's a huge deal for you? Why or why not? I recognize that I am often wrong and I'm entirely open to being corrected if you've found my assessment to be way off. Don't misunderstand me - I'm not saying DON'T celebrate V-Day. We certainly did. In fact, if you were bitter and didn't celebrate - our fort/canopy is still up and there are still brownies to be eaten, so come on over :) Our door is always open! With that all said - I love Jesus. I love my husband. I'm thankful that my husband recognizes that Jesus is his example of how to love me well - he does a fantastic job, 365 days a year. I'm thankful we go on dates every week and I'm thankful he made this weekend's date extra-special with the brownies and canopy and presents and fro-yo....He's a stud and an incredible Valentine. Even though I don't deserve him, I've got him, and I love it.

With moving to Denver looming daily in my mind, I have to ask the Lord constantly to teach me to live here, right now. As one who often struggles with discontentment, I find myself longing for what's to come, rather than being content where God has me right now. So, in addition to trying to be more missional in Raleigh before we leave, I also want to experience some things before we pack up and head west.

Although it seems like a long time away still, it's really not, when I think about that fact that February is 1/3 over, I'll be traveling for a big portion of March (hello Florida....twice) and June (Brasil - excellent), that really only leaves April and May to cram stuff into. So, with that thought in mind, I started compiling a "Raleigh-Durham Bucket List," if you will. As far as I know, I'm not about to kick the bucket, so maybe this list would would be more aptly named the "Catch Ya Later, Carolina List."

Here's what's on it so far - don't judge me for the number of food-related goals ;)

Visit Duke - Campus, chapel, gardensEat at a fro-yo place (Yo-Po, done, but I want to try something in WF/Raleigh)
Go to the Biltmore houseEat at the Angus Barn or that 5-star Magnolia Something restaurant
Go to the Outer Banks (Where the wild horses and sand dunes are)
Go to a Hurricanes game (Anyone know how to get cheap tickets?)
Sample some good Durham food carts
Visit the Durham farmer’s market
Eat at Char-Grill for a burger/Try Snoopy's for a hotdog

I sampled my first Cookout milkshake this week. Oh my goodness - cheesecake chocolate chip deliciousness! So, even though it wasn't on the list, it should have been probably and now I can cross it off.

So, any suggestions? What things have you done in the area that are must-dos, must-sees, or must-eats? If you were creating a "Catch Ya Later, Carolina List" for yourself, what would you have on it? For friends that have already moved away, what do you wish you had done while you were here?

Help me figure out some great adventures for the next few months :)

Once again the radio was a helpful shopping tool. No, I (unfortunately) did not win another $100 gift card by being on a radio program, but I did hear about a "secret" warehouse sale, full of great bargains as I drove into work Friday.

As soon as I got into the office, I Googled the location and warehouse sale and found out J. Crew was hosting a regional warehouse/clearance sale in Chapel Hill. Being the crazy, adventurous shopper I am, I ventured out there Saturday with my friend Stephanie. After waiting in line, we were issued shopping bags (giant trash bags) that we then hauled around like Santa with a toy sack for the rest of the day.

All I knew was that stuff was supposed to be really cheap, it was last year's samples and that we'd have to dig. I had no idea that much of the stuff would say "sample" on it or HOW MUCH we'd have to dig. Seriously - boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff. To find anything, you literally had to dive into a row, stake a claim on an area and methodically go through every item.


This entire empty store was filled to the brim with unmarked boxes packed full of J. Crew shoes, sweaters, shirts, pants, cardigans, dresses, coats, skirts and swimsuits. And that was just the womens' side. As we dug through the boxes, looking for good finds in our sizes, we'd occasionally hear a whoop and a holler from people who founds something they (evidently) had been dying without.

Stephanie and I spent about 4 hours going through the piles of stuff, looking for cheap treasures. I was on the hunt for some gladiator sandals ($10) or a replica of our bridesmaid dress (embossed cotton halter in a size 4 for $20) but instead I walked away with a new bathing suit ($6) and a pair of Tretorn tennis shoes ($10). I tried to buy a cute shirt for $10, but when they told me it was a dress (at THAT length?! At $20? I don't think so!) I said no thanks.


We had a good time though, pawing through the boxes and sharing a feeling of camaraderie with other bargain shoppers. However, I have to say, I think for the average "bargain" shopper, $30 for a pair of shoes or $25 for a pair of pants isn't THAT great of a deal - J. Crew or not. But, if you're in the mood for some adventurous shopping, with the chance of finding a good deal, you could probably have a rollicking good time at the J. Crew warehouse sale in Chapel Hill. Unlike one friend of mine, who went with her husband for a date night, I recommend going with a girlfriend - not your husband. It's enough crowds and chaos to make even a seasoned-shopping husband panic!

All that said, I'm not opposed to taking another stab at the sale to see what I can find. It's on until Jan. 23 and apparently, they restock every day as trucks continue to bring in products. If you're into extreme shopping and want to go, let me know :)

P.S. - I'm seeing a lot of people searching for details on the sale, so here's the facts: It's taking place in Chapel Hill at University Mall on Estes Dr. The store is directly across from Roses. The daily hours are 10-8, I believe, but don't hold me to that :) Also, it's here until the 23rd!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Yeah, yeah....I realize I'm a wee bit late. My excuse box is full like my belly after two weeks of lots of food and very little movement. Seriously. FULL.

All I can say is that I'm sorry I have neglected this blog for 2+ weeks but now I'm back. In the office. Naturally, I post when I have time at work :)

So anywhoo - it's been a busy couple of weeks, full of food, family, laughs and snow. For all you East-Coasters who got to enjoy what was apparently a LOT of snow for the area, I'd like you to pause to recognize that there was already about a foot of snow on the ground in Wyoming when we arrived before Christmas and the good Lord decided to bless the area with another 8+ inches as we were trying to leave the Frozen Tundra, as I affectionately call my husband's homeland.

We enjoyed our break by spending time with my parents in TN, celebrating Christmas early, doing some last-minute shopping and birthday-celebrating, and of course - eating. Dad and I even got to ski for a day. It was a fun excursion, but a painful reminder that I'm getting older and that it's been a few years since I skied. My black and blue knee speaks to that!

We then flew west and spent a day with my father-in-law in Denver exploring our soon-to-be new neighborhood before we ventured north to the Arctic. Wyoming was nice, with sunshine and above freezing temperatures for most of the trip, although the snow and ice remained solid. We didn't get to go for walks in the mountains except for one time, but we did make sure to make eating at Su Casa (best Mexican food EVER) a priority - three times. We also enjoyed spending Christmas Eve with the family and Christmas day with Christian family at the Olsons' - the family that led my husband to Christ. I will forever be thankful to them for their spiritual legacy which has now affected MY family! They opened their home to us so we got to share in Bible study time, tons of tasty morsels and several rousing hands of Bingo, which won a new flashlight for my dear mother-in-law and a new 4GB memory card for me! It's good to be a Vanderburg. We win things.


Once we made it out of the blizzard (literally) in Wyoming and Colorado, we decided to spend an extra night with my parents in TN so we could celebrate New Year's Eve with them before heading home to OUR home.

It is good to be back. We love and miss our family, but there's nothing like a lazy Sunday in your own bed, football on the big screen and dominos and cuddling with OUR dog. We shared a bottle of sparkling white grape juice, a pot of chili and lots of snacks supplied by my mother.


So.....all travel news aside, I'm thankful to be home. Even though today marks the beginning of the last semester in NC for us, it's lovely to settle in for one more season of the familiar before the unfamiliar strikes hard and fast. 2010 was a great year but I am so looking forward to all the Lord has in store for us in 2011!

Apparently, my last few posts have hinted at something that makes you all think I am pregnant. I know this because I have gotten e-mails, messages and comments from you asking if I am with child. Let me reiterate: We are not having a baby. Not that we know of anyways, right now. :) All my sweet new mom friends keep getting so excited for us when they think we're pregnant, but we are not and we're OK with that right now. There's a lot of other big changes on the horizon....

So, since it's a slowish day and there's not much else to write about, I'll share the news that we've been keeping kind of hush-hush. We had not told our bosses until this week, but now that we have, I don't feel inhibited about telling you that we're moving.

To Denver.

I'm really, really excited and THANKFUL for the direction the Lord has given us. Some of you knew already, and some of you knew this was something we've been thinking about/praying about for months, but we committed about a month ago, so come July (yes, I know it's a long ways off) we'll be packing up and heading across the country.

We have been meeting with the team members of Soma Church, one of the first church plants of our current church, The Summit. While we LOVE Summit, Soma has become our small, tight-knit community over the last several months especially, so when they asked us to consider joining them, we eventually agreed. It took us a while, but we're so glad we've thrown our lot in with them! :) Many of you know we are passionate about seeing God change lives through the church, especially in areas where there are none to few Bible-teaching bodies of believers. That's why we want to plant a church in a few years in Salt Lake City.

This transition to Denver will be a great opportunity for us to live on mission on a daily basis, to be around a lot of people who need to hear about God's grace, and to learn and grow as church planters so that in a couple of years we will be prepared to plant another church out of Soma in SLC.

So - that's it in a nutshell. We're excited. Like REALLY excited. I'm so thankful for the Lord's direction in moving us purposefully forward into what he is calling us to do. I'm so thankful for my husband's leadership in this. I'm thankful for my church(es) - both of them!

P.S. - Here's the prayer card for our group. Please be in prayer for us and the leadership of Soma as we prepare.

It's a cold, blustery day here and it feels like winter. In fact, it has felt like nothing BUT winter here for a couple of weeks. So....with winter comes things like Christmas, New Year's Eve and my birthday. It's the trifecta of great holidays, although A would disagree with me about New Year's Eve being a great holiday. He does not dispute that my birthday is a great holiday because he knows I'd beat him up for that comment.

So, it's birthday week, which means lots and lots of eating out, courtesy of tons of free birthday meals. Check out the bargain blog for that list. For lunch today I ate a dish from Noodle & Co. that was a birthday freebie - Japanese Pan Noodles with sauteed beef. All of the internet experts told me not to eat it, because it sat in our car yesterday for a long time (like 4 hours.....) but I did. I wolfed that food. And I haven't vomited yet, thankyouverymuch. I have an iron stomach. Literally, it's really hard right now. Maybe the noodles and beef aren't sitting as well as I hoped?

But all food talk aside, this birthday week is shaping up marvelously! On Friday, A gave me "a little something" for my birthday, which turned out to be a collective gift from both our parents and him - money for a new DSLR camera. Not so little at all!

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I am WAY excited about getting a good camera! He wanted me to get it now so I could learn from some excellent photographers I work with at Southeastern. So, I've been researching all weekend, checking out some deals, and I think I'm going to go with a package from Canon on a Rebel T2i with two lenses: an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm zoom lens. They'll be refurbished, but I'm OK with that, after having read up on what that means. With discounts and rebates, I'll spend under $700 - a stinking good deal, I think. So, any thoughts, suggestions, etc.?

I am so blessed by the generosity of family, but recognize that human generosity is a shadow of
the generosity that the Lord has extended to me. In this season of gift-giving and presents, I want to remember the greatest gift ever given was a Son who sacrificed his life so I could spend eternity in His perfect presence. That is generosity.

So, in the spirit of the Lord's generosity, I am going to be generous and share some of my food coupons with my husband :) Moe's and Ruby Tuesday's - see you soon for dinner.

True story. Here goes.

Sunday was the concert/shopping trip as a prize for being smarter than a 5th grader. My friend Stephanie went with me, and we had a grand time! We showed up at the new Tanger outlet store in Mebane, excited to get into the VIP tent and (me) excited to pick up my $25 gift card. After battling the thousands of rednecks who came from forever away at the mention of an outlet mall, we parked. I mean, we drove up over the curb and made a spot on the recently-laid grass.

Maybe the redneck tendencies affected me more than I realized.

We got into the VIP tent with our handy little passes and marched right up to the front of the tent with our plates of snacks to wait on Sara Evans to appear. We didn't know what the situation would be, only that we wanted to be close. So, rather than waiting in the line that was snaking around the tent, we just plopped ourselves at the table closest to the front and waited.

When she showed up, everyone made their way through the line for pictures as I happily munched on plate #2 of snacks :) When the line was gone, we jumped up next to her for pictures and a friendly little chat. Actually, Stephanie did more of the chatting. I was so excited to meet someone famous I think I stuttered something like "I'm SO EXCITED. Really. Really excited." I'm smooth.

We don't have any pictures of us meeting her, because they promised they'd post the professional ones for free on her website. Last time I checked, free does not mean $5. Anywho.



The concert started shortly thereafter and we got to enter the special front row section where we stood about 3 feet from the stage. To say my ears were ringing afterwards would be a bit of an understatement. I knew pretty much every song she sang, which was fun, except for one which I'd love to figure out. Help? It's a slow song with the words, "I love you too much..." Any ideas?



All that to say, it was a delightful day, a great concert and a great time hanging out with Steph.

It pays to be a Zanderburg. And to be smarter than a 5th grader.

Last week was a baseball-filled week for us here in the VanderHouse. Thursday night, my husband and I recreated our first date: We went to dinner in downtown Durham, and then went and watched our friend (and roommate for this season) R.J. pitch for the Durham Bulls.

Two years ago, we ate at a cafe called the Sojourner Cafe that was filled with foreigners, including our Russian waiter, who told us it was his dream to move to Myrtle Beach. The Sojourner is now out of business, so I hope that was impetus enough for him to realize his dream!

Thursday, we ate at a restaurant called Tyler's (try their garlic fries!) in Durham, right along the little "waterfront." We got a perfect table - the water flowing right behind us, we had a view of the green and there was live music at the restaurant.

Afterwards, we went to the ballpark to watch R.J. pitch. On our first date, he was playing for the opposing team and we were in the minority cheering. Thankfully this time, there was plenty of cheering for R.J.'s team, spurring them on to a win in the final championship series.

It was a memorable night. I loved our first date, and I loved this one too. Thankfully, at the end of this date, there was no awkward side-hug and goodbye! I got to take him home ;)

Friday night we took our man-child and a friend of his and went and watched R.J. pitch again. Unfortunately, it was not a winning night for the Bulls, and because it was their third loss of the series, their season was over. We still enjoyed the game and the fireworks that followed!

Today is the day. Our little man-child is about to sprout his wings and fly into the dorms.

Thanks for the offers of stuff to give him and encouragement about the situation. We had a successful day of yard-saleing and Share Shopping on Saturday and John walked away with a lot of good stuff for his new dorm room. I'm waiting to hear from A that they have his keys, and then I'm going to go be a good little Mom and take my camera and document the moving-in festivities.

Don't be fooled - I'm not planning on hauling stuff into the dorm, just documenting it :) I'm on day #3 of migraines/period headaches that make me sick to my stomach and just want to sleep, so unless my (unfortunately, still-sick) husband really needs me to help carry things, I think I may sit this one out.

After John is all moved in, I'd like to say we'll be empty-nesters, but alas, we won't be. Roommate and wife and baby are in town all week, then my mom comes in this weekend. I'm hoping my mother is game to help me refinish a table I found that has been sitting on our porch since LAST time she visited! That time, there was snow on the ground. Don't judge me for how long it takes me to get to projects. Anyways, I don't know how Mom will feel about that, but we shall see. Also on the docket? Some golf. It's been a while, and I'm excited!

Anyways, I swiped this idea from a friend's blog and wanted to see if I could do it. Thirty days of me. Sounds scintillating, right? I know. Anyways, I think it will be a good personal challenge to see if I can blog for 30 days straight, since, as my blog manager Kristel will tell you, all the good bloggers blog daily! Haha.

So, here goes with day #1!

30 Days of ME
Day 1: Your favorite song: Painting Pictures of Egypt by Sara Groves
I don't know if I can honestly say I have ONE favorite song, but this one would be darn near the top of the list. Not only do I love Sara Groves' music, but I love this song for the myriad of times it has reminded me that, like the Israelites who wandered in the desert, longing for Egypt, I have a tendency to romanticize the past rather than running confidently and with faith toward the future the Lord has promised me. I too often yearn for the mediocre and the comfortable, rather than trusting God's promises to bring me into sweeter fellowship with Him and to do good for me. Sometimes the current situation seems so rough, and the unknown future seems even more bleak, and this song is a much-needed reminder that the Father in Heaven desires to bring me into a land of milk and honey, if only I'll let him lead me into the inheritance he has prepared for me.

Day 2: Your favorite movie
Day 3: Your favorite television program
Day 4: Your favorite book
Day 5: Your favorite quote
Day 6: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 7: A photo that makes you happy
Day 8: A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9: A photo you took
Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11: A photo of you taken recently
Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13: A fictional book
Day 14: A non-fictional book
Day 15: A fanfic
Day 16: A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17: An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19: A talent of yours
Day 20: A hobby of yours
Day 21: A recipe
Day 22: A website
Day 23: A YouTube video
Day 24: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25: Your day, in great detail
Day 26: Your week, in great detail
Day 27: This month, in great detail
Day 28: This year, in great detail
Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30: Whatever tickles your fancy

Sorry for the dry spell, dear friends. It's been a long, slow week at the Vanderburgs', and not necessarily in the best ways.

A got sick on Tuesday (or earlier, that's just when he really started hitting rock bottom) and so I've been trying to help get him well again. This is by far the sickest I've seen him - he missed work three days this week because he felt so awful, and that's been the second time he's called in sick in about 6 years he said. Luckily there are no perfect attendance awards in grown-up world, or I think he would have tried to push through just to say he did. However, with a 100+ degree fever, a horrible hacking cough and lots of headaches, I'm thankful he has been given a chance to rest.

Our little man-child John showed up yesterday. He's a former youth of A's from the church he was at in SC, and now, John's been accepted into the school where I work to go to college. He is so excited to be here and start. However, unlike most college kids I know, there is no big "move-in to the dorms" weekend for John - he's staying on our couch with some clothes and books until he talks to housing and gets moved in.

Tomorrow morning, hopefully, we'll go garage saleing and find some necessities for him before he moves into the dorms - pillow, sheets, bedding, lamps, folders for school, alarm clock, etc.

I've been a college student (not too long ago!) but honestly have no idea how to begin helping him shop for things for his dorm room. A) He's a boy, and boys and girls are fundamentally different in their decorating tastes B) We're starting from ground zero with stuff for him.

We joke a lot about John being our man-child, but honestly, I've never been that great with kids, and suddenly finding myself playing "mom" to someone that is 19 years old is kind of baffling. How do I translate my college experience: Two carloads of stuff, parents, color-coordinated sheets/bedding/decor, tearful goodbyes, etc., with helping this great kid start this phase of his life off right? He's not going to have his parents here to help move him into the dorm. He won't have carloads of stuff to move in. There won't be family with him at the family events, and my heart just breaks for the whole situation.

Pray for us this weekend as A recovers (or tries to) and as we try to figure out how to help this kid with this huge transition in his life. I am thankful that our Lord is bigger than sickness and bigger than college and that he cares for these two guys infinitely better than I will ever be able to.

Thanks to Swagbucks, I have been earning Amazon.com gift cards and stacking them up, waiting to redeem them for this little beauty - a sushi kit of our very own, at NO cost to us! :)


I figured, sushi is delicious, but SO expensive for how little you often get! So, why not get a kit and try to make some at home? So we did. It comes with everything except the fresh fillings and chopsticks!

Saturday afternoon, I started out by cooking the included sushi rice, a semi-confusing process that left me a little worried I'd screw it up big time. However, I finally figured out all it really is is boiling the rice, turning the temp down, turning the burners off, fluffing and re-covering with a towel. After cooking and cooling, the rice gets mixed with some really strong-smelling vinegar. Then, we covered it with a wet cloth and went to worship at our wonderful church.


When we came home - it was on.

A chopped the cucumber and avocado for California Rolls, and some cream cheese for Philadelphia rolls. He's so tough, with that knife and all.

Our first roll didn't look so hot! Here's why. First, the instruction booklet says to "Toast the nori (seaweed sheets) over a medium flame"....Um. We don't have any flames except scented candles. I didn't figure that would be wise. Instead, I put it in the toaster oven on about 200 for a few minutes to warm it up - no idea if it actually helped or not!

Secondly, they tell you to cut the nori in half....however, the "cut in half" dimensions matched the size it already was. So, with our first roll, we cut it in half and rolled it wrong. Thus, we didn't have enough to wrap the rice/fillings. It looked more like a taco shell. We're multi-cultural, even with our sushi.

However, it was delicious!! After watching some ever-helpful YouTube videos and getting frustrated about the mechanics of it all, we finally got some decent looking rolls!

When we finally sat down to eat our feast about an hour and a half later, we had a curious onlooker. Silly dog, sushi's for people.

Maybe he wanted some of our homemade egg-drop soup instead. (Who am I kidding? It wasn't homemade, unless you count dropping an egg into a boiling pot of pre-packaged mix as homemade!)

In the spirit of culture, we mixed some wasabi powder with water and a LOT of soy sauce (that junk is SPICY!) in our honeymoon mug from Mexico! And voile! Our sushi feast!!

We had enough left over rolls for lunch the next day, and enough rice left to make one more roll with some salmon, avocado and cream cheese. That was my favorite.

So, for those of you who have made sushi - tips for next time? Because there WILL be a next time!