How far is a century?

It's 136 miles if you're on a bike, apparently. Part three of Isaac's bachelor weekend is a noteworthy accomplishment, I must say. Parts one and two included mostly large balls of flame and testosterone-filled entertainment, but for the last part, Isaac, Justin, and Tommy donned their ever so flattering bike shorts and joined hundreds of other adventurers on the Century bike ride. It's supposedly only 100 miles, but the boys ended up riding a grand total of 136 miles all around through every little town up here...nine hours of riding! And they loved it! Us proud wives (almost wife, I know) went to meet them at their half-way point, which was conveniently three blocks down the street from my house where we were filling a few of those nine hours being artsy. That's one of the great blessings in our lives, by the way. Two of my closest girlfriends up here happen to be married to two of Isaac's closest friends, so when the boys are off doing their boy things, us girls get to spend that time with each other. It just works out really nicely. So, here's the artsyness that we created...we bought a few old cupboard doors, covered them with canvas, then Lex and Mo painted over their canvas to make wall art. I just covered mine with three different prints of fabric. But they all turned out so cool! Here are Mo's...fun, huh? Want to know what else I got to do while the boys were riding the day away? Laundry! Which is only significant because our new place doesn't have any laundry on-site, so we get to go to the laundromat every couple of weeks for the next year. I've never been to a laundromat before, but I'll admit, I was kind of excited to get to go this weekend. Why, you might ask? I really have no idea other than there's something kind of romantic, independent, and adventurous about the whole thing. You know how your parents and all your friends' parents talk about how they barely got by their first years of marriage, or they only had two pots and pans their first year, or they only had $200 in their pockets when they married...things like that? Those stories always held a certain romanticism for me...life wasn't perfect or necessarily the ideal for them, but they were in love and they made a life for themselves together through whatever hardships came. Now, don't get me wrong, the laundromat is not a hardship, but it's just a little thing that has always been an easy convenience for us, and now that we're married, we get to spend our first year together going to the laundromat instead of having our own washer and dryer. Sigh. Isaac says my excitement about it will wear off rather quickly, and I'm sure he's right, but Sunday was my first time and it really wasn't that bad at all. It was just me, though. Next time it will be us because we'll be married (yes!yes!) and we'll get to make it a date.
Today is my last day of work which means no more internet access until we're back from the sunny beaches of California. Talk to you all then!

So we baked a fruit cobbler...

Blueberry-nectarine, to be exact. And I suppose I should specify that 'we' in this case refers to Morgs and me, not Isaac and me. Let me apologize in advance to those of you who think that perhaps I write too often about the food we make, but cooking is one of Isaac and my favorite things and baking is particularly close to my heart. Just the thought that I get to go home and bake some fresh bread or experiment with a new type of pastry or cookie, or in this case cobbler, brings a smile and sigh of contentment to my heart. So much of our lives are spent making food together that I can't write about our lives and not include our creations in the kitchen. But back to the cobbler...it was the perfect, relaxing evening activity. Mo and I had a huge mixing bowl full of sliced nectarines, quite possibly the best nectarines I've ever had in my life, a perfect blend of sweetness, spicyness, and tartness and perfectly ripened to the point that a bite melts in your mouth (I'm not kidding here). Add a couple cups of blueberries to those, a little honey, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, pour that into a dough that's poured over melted butter and...whalah...perfection. Well, almost perfection. I'm not sure I've ever had a cobbler before and I wasn't expecting such a cakey consistency in the dough. It was definitely good, but I think next time I'll turn it into a crisp instead. Ummm, let me interject here...take a moment to notice the beautiful hanging plant above my head and the little herb garden on the table behind me. Awesome, huh? Both gifts from Isaac, they're the beginning of our indoor garden, and when I say indoor garden, that's exactly what I mean. It's our goal to get as much living greenery inside our little house as possible before the year is out. I love it!
Nine days left, nine days left, nine days left...

Pray for the battle...

I know I said I wouldn't be writing, but after working for six hours straight this morning with four still left to go, I decided that I am more than qualified to give myself a break for a few minutes. So here's my break.

For those of you reading who are pray-ers, Isaac and I could really use your prayers in these next few days. I say 'Isaac and I' because, although the emotional craziness happens in me, Isaac is the one who walks through these times with me and he needs strength and wisdom for that part. It seems like satan has been doing anything he can to steal my joy in these final weeks as we prepare to be married. Various battles in my mind that I have fought on and off throughout life all seem to be coming up at once and in overwhelming force. And I am left in a seemingly constant struggle to believe God's truth and to live that out in my life. It's just exhausting and frustrating to me that these days that should be filled with joy (and often do start out that way) are so quickly smothered in struggle. The truth is that God is bigger and He will prevail, of that I have no doubt, but I need the strength to keep fighting for the truth and to keep fighting for my joy.

So please pray for me, for Isaac, for us. Thanks, friends.

The near future...

So, I'm not dropping the ball, but I am giving you all the heads up that the girl I share the office responsibilities here just got married this past weekend and will be gone for a week and a half. Ere go, I now have double the responsibility in my work day and no more free time to post about our lives. This won't be forever, don't worry, and who knows...maybe I'll find a spare few minutes during this week. Either way, just know that I'll be back soon. And while you wait, here's a snapshot of Isaac and me on the way to Tina's wedding...

And the moment you've all been waiting for...

Here's our new baby! Isn't she beautiful? We're riding in style, now! It's perfect for us because we can fit our bikes in the back or go car camping, no problem. She runs well and was taken really good care of by her previous owner. She's just a fun car and we're really thankful to have her.