Better Late than Never... Right?

Stay off my stinkin' LAWN

I've been watering these plants for the whole, long, stinking dry summer. And Maverick walks in the gate and within 24 hours tears the place to shreds.

I'd stop him, but he's so darn cute.

He eats mulch too, which was concerning to Moriah (not me, since I've eaten it a time or two myself). She checked it out on the web. Dirt in puppy's mouth: totally normal.

Maverick is sitting by me as I write this, so I'm typing so stealth. Can't promise this will be the last puppy post. Sorry

-Blake, Mr. I-don't-check-my-own-blog

We got a puppy! His name is...

Isn't he cute???

We're back from the lake...

We're home safe and sound after a full week at the lake with the Steward (and extended) family. Loads of sun, water, sunscreen, cool weather, and great food made for a very relaxing week.
I spent all week anticipating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I purchased Saturday morning in Hot Springs. It was well worth the wait! I finished this afternoon. If you are in Nashville and need a copy, mine is available.
Blake skied and wake-boarded every chance he got. I road in the boat and took pictures. We had a wonderful week but I was ready to come home. I'm now looking forward to Labor day when I (hopefully) get to see all my girlfriends from ACU.

100 Things About Me...

1. I am a middle child.
2. I have two sisters.
3. My Dad and little sister, Channing, used to call me “Little Miss Perfect.” I always pretended that it annoyed me but I secretly loved it.
4. I am really close to all my extended family.
5. I am the only member of my extended family to live outside of TX voluntarily.
6. My sister lives in Beaufort, SC with her husband who is a Marine… They prefer TX.
7. I don’t really talk like I am from TX, except when I say the word “night.”
8. When I was little, I sucked my right index finger.
9. I always slept with a very soft stuffed animal.
10. I still sleep with a very soft stuffed animal.
11. Channing gave it to me in my Christmas stocking last year.
12. Sometimes I catch Blake sleeping with it.
13. I like bologna.
14. I had it for lunch today.
15. When I was little, Becky Smith (Evans) and I used to watch “David the Gnome” while eating bologna and potato chips… both dipped in ketchup.
16. Becky and I would play Barbies everyday.
17. I didn’t stop playing with my Barbies until I was in the 6th grade.
18. Packing them up and putting them in the attic might be the hardest thing I had to do as a child.
19. I still love Barbies.
20. Every time I go to Wal-Mart I walk down the Barbie aisle just to look at them.
21. I had a wreck the first afternoon I had my driving permit.
22. The person I hit was my (now) brother-in-law’s older brother. (I was too embarrassed to talk to him at Bevin and John’s wedding.)
23. I learned to drive a standard transmission before I mastered driving an automatic.
24. My first car was a 1966 (red) Mustang.
25. During the summer I had to take an extra set of clothes with me everywhere I went… it had no air-conditioning.
26. I was a member of the Student Council from 6th grade to 12th grade.
27. My senior year I was Student Council Secretary.
28. I was a member of the National Honor Society.
29. My junior year I was Homecoming Princess and Class Favorite.
30. My Senior year I was just on the Homecoming Court. (As Blake says… I peaked too early)
31. I loved high school.
32. I wouldn’t want to do it over again, though.
33. I went pot-luck my freshman year at ACU and LOVED my roommate Cheryl.
34. That same year I went out on at least one date with 12 different guys.
35. One of those guys was Blake.
36. He stood one person down from me during Freshman Sing Song.
37. I thought he was super cute and funny, too.
38. One day he stopped me in the Bean and asked me, “When are we going to have some Blake and Moriah time?”
39. I was so excited I ran to the other side of the Bean to tell all my friends.
40. Our first date was to an Italian restaurant and to Grace.
41. We started dating at the beginning of our sophomore year.
42. I used to cry A LOT.
43. Blake has calmed me down, BIG TIME.
44. I moved into a different house every semester after I moved out of the dorm. (4 houses in 4 semesters)
45. The only roommate that stayed consistent was Kenli.
46. I cooked dinner for at least 4 people most weeknights my senior year at ACU.
47. I loved the club I was in at ACU… Sigma Theta Chi.
48. I was the “Big Sig” (pledge mom) my senior year.
49. The pledges made me cry almost every day. (#43)
50. I wanted nothing more than for Siggies to win Sing Song every year.
51. I am very competitive.
52. I don’t like being Blake’s partner for games because he usually doesn’t care if we win or not.
53. I won’t do something unless I know I can excel at it.
54. My degree is in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies.
55. I decided during an internship at Abilene High that I did not want to teach.
56. I still don’t want to teach.
57. I’ve thought about going back to school, not seriously, to get a Masters Degree in Electronic Media… or something design related.
58. I love fonts.
59. I am kind of a font snob.
60. I hate it when I see a standard Microsoft font on a piece of printed material or used in a logo.
61. I love to scrapbook.
62. I have only finished 2 paper scrapbooks.
63. I am working on my first digitally produced scrapbook… I’ll let you know how it looks printed.
64. I love taking pictures.
65. I feel bad for people who don’t have fun/good wedding pictures.
66. I could spend hours on Facebook.
67. My favorite is to look at pictures of people I knew at ACU and from high school… weddings are my favorite.
68. I wish more of my friends had blogs.
69. I hate to sing in front of people I don’t know.
70. I cried immediately after the first time I sang in front of Blake without music. I sing really loud around him now.
71. Although I don’t like to sing in front of people, I like to pretend I’m a Broadway star when I’m driving.
72. Right now, Wicked is my favorite musical to sing along with.
73. I love Brad Paisley’s music. As soon as I got his new CD I scanned all the songs trying to pick out my favorite. I couldn’t ever decide.
74. It annoys me when Blake makes up his own part to any song… or when he tries to sing along when he doesn’t know the words.
75. I sometimes get mad at Blake because he won’t get mad at me. How stupid is that?
76. I hate it when I don’t get my way.
77. #76 doesn’t happen very often.
78. I am not ready to have a baby yet.
79. I REALLY want a golden retriever.
80. I love going to the lake with my family.
81. I used to water-ski a lot.
82. Now I don’t because I’m not very good at it. (see #54)
83. I love to sit in the boat while watching Blake ski. He is really good and pretty fearless.
84. In my family, you aren’t really water skiing until you can slalom.
85. My granddad bought me my own slalom ski the day I learned how. It hasn’t been used very much since then.
86. I spent a lot of time with Patmommy and Granddad when I was growing up. I spent most Saturday nights at their house.
87. They always had Mr. Goodbars, Dr. Peppers, and homemade sweet pickles for me.
88. I LOVE Dr. Pepper.
89. I will never stop loving it.
90. I have never tried to stop drinking it.
91. I hate exercise.
92. I tried to like running for 4.5 years and decided last July, that it wasn’t worth being miserable any more.
93. I haven’t run since then.
94. I have walked some… It’s not the same without my walking buddies from ACU.
95. I took “Walking for Fitness” at ACU and was the (self-proclaimed) motivator in the class.
96. I love to cook.
97. I really like having people come over for dinner.
98. I like to sew.
99. I’m still learning though… patterns still intimidate me.
100. I just realized I like to talk about myself. I think my list could go on for days.

I had to come back to my list after finishing it because I forgot some very important things about myself. I went back through my list and picked out all the stupid things. No one tagged me, but I really enjoyed reading all my Otter Creek buddies’ lists, so I wanted to make one for myself. I also wanted all my ACU Blogging buddies to make lists!

So...

A long time ago, actually. We closed April 26th. Exactly one week after we closed we left for the Dominican Republic. Work has been crazy and I have been too lazy to blog. Not long after we got back from our trip I started tearing down wallpaper and border in the kitchen. It wasn't fun at all. The kitchen is slowly being finished and I will post before and after pictures when we actually finish. I was going to send out these cute little "We have moved" cards but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe you will see them at Christmas. Summer is flying by. This weekend we are going to TX for a wedding. It has been a really long time since I have seen my family and I've been missing them lately. A couple weeks after the wedding we'll all be meeting in Arkansas for our yearly trip to Lake Ouachita. But before we head to Arkansas... I'm going to New York. While I'm there...


I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. I have the ENTIRE soundtrack memorized and have been dying to see it for months (although it seems like years). I am going with Janet (from work), her daughter, and one of her daughter's friends. I just hope I can keep myself from singing every word. Blake thought it was a great idea that I go on this trip. I also think that he is a little sad he isn't going with me. Every morning I can always count on him to mix up all the words from "Popular" or "The Wizard and I." He sings them more than I do! Anyway... This blog had no purpose other than to share my excitement with my blog buddies. With all my trips coming up, you can bet I'll have lots of pictures to share!

My Favorite Restaurants

I was tagged by Carrie in her post regarding her favorite restaurants. I might do three lists... one of Nashville, one of Fort Worth, and one of Abilene. When we were in the DR with TJ and Holly, Holly suggested that we take a food vacation. In this vacation we would go to Abilene and eat at all our favorite places. I think it's a pretty good idea although, I'd like to add Fort Worth to the itinerary. Actually, I'm not going to do three different lists, I'm going to make them all one.

1. Chili's . Brentwood, TN . By far my most favorite place to eat. Blake and I love to go to Chili's. It doesn't matter where... Brentwood, Abilene, or Fort Worth. Brentwood is the best and Kevan Albright is by far the best waiter in the whole world. The Quesadilla Explosion Salad is heavenly! You must try it!

2. Cousin's Barbeque . Fort Worth, TX . The BEST barbeque you will ever eat. There are a few locations in the metroplex. If you ever fly through DFW airport, you must eat there.

3. Puffy Muffin . Brentwood, TN . I love Puffy Muffin. I love their chicken salad, tortilla soup, chocolate chip pancakes, hashbrown casserole, and mocha crinkles. It is always filled with Nashville's most adorable moms... I don't fit in, but I don't care. Even Blake loves eating breakfast there.

4. Spaghetti Warehouse . Abilene (or Fort Worth), TX . It isn't the same as the Spaghetti Factory in Nashville. It's WAY better. It's cheap with great bread and even better salad. I can't wait to go again.

5. Copper Kettle . Nashville, TN . A great "meat and three." I didn't even know what that was until I moved here. They have the best pot roast I have ever eaten. It's so delicious! We haven't eaten there in a while... Just in case you want to go, it's only guaranteed that they will have pot roast on Thursdays.

I have many more "favorite" restaurants. Rosa's Tortilla Factory, Luby's, Subway, Carrabba's, Blue Mesa, Outback... The list goes on.

I still have over 1,000 pictures to post from our trip to the DR. Maybe I'll get to that this week. Oh yeah, Blake and I bought a house almost a month ago. I spent all weekend pulling down two layers of grape border and wallpaper. I'm letting Blake take down all the nasty glue. Hopefully we will be able to paint tomorrow. We'll see!

Playa Grande

Here... and loving it!

We are safe and sound in the DR. I will post lots of blogs about our experiences when we get back... or during our 6 hour lay-over at JFK. Just wanted to share a few pictures!

Frisbee Sunday...

ACU #3

He's Really Great!

He really is great! This is the article that was in the WPLN Newsletter about Blake. It's really cheesy and he wrote every word of it, but it's just kind of neat. Blake has been working super hard lately. Not that he didn't work hard before he started hosting Morning Edition, it's just that he's been working extra hard lately. He gets up super early (3:45am), gets to WPLN at 4:30am, and usually doesn't stop working until 5:00pm. He's been WPLN's workhorse lately but he really loves it. He's motivated to go out and find news to cover or feature stories to write, which I would never have the drive to do. Here's to Blake!

Blake went to bed at 9:30 tonight, and I am trying to overcome my desire to sleep whenever he does. I have been sleeping so much lately (atleast 9 or 10 hours a night) and all I want to do is sleep. I think I have always "needed" more sleep than most people, but not being able to DRAG myself out of bed at 7am is getting annoying. So... I'm trying a new plan. I'm going to stay up after Blake goes to bed and straighten the house, exercise (pray for determination), and do a little Spring Cleaning (more organizing than anything). It's 10:07 right now and I'm fighting weariness. I'm weak and I know it. Blake is strong. He will get 6 hours of sleep, work for 12, and then go run for an hour. How's that for determination. I'm off to attepmt #2 on my list of things to do. Here goes nothing!

By the way, Kenli is coming to visit on Saturday and staying through Wednesday! I am SOOOOO excited!

I Love Sing Song... and Siggies!

This is for my fellow super-competitive, Sing Song loving, Siggie gals!

Weekend in Abilene #1

The sweetest thing...

Perhaps the sweetest looking 10-day-old we've ever seen.
This is Hannah Rivkah, the first born of Shrebekawn - as we like to call them - Shawn and Rebecca Brown.
From all accounts, the new family is doing well.

blake

Snow!

Rebekah's Baby Shower

Sorry, no pictures.

I am in Orlando right now for a Children's Ministry conference. I know you are probably thinking, "Moriah, you aren't a children's minister. You were an intern once, but that doesn't make you one." Believe me, I know I'm not a children's minister. I kind of stick out like a sore thumb here: Young girl, Pumas, jeans, computer satchel (not a padded bag), no perm, no orthopedic shoes. Now, I have to say this... The women I came with from Otter Creek are not like this either, but they don't stick out like I do. I don't get really excited when a group comes out on stage to perform their songs (lip-singing with a track) all while their cartoon counterparts are projected on the side screens. (Once again, Janet, Melanie, Donna, and Nan don't do this either.) Janet and Melanie asked me to come at the end of last week when someone had to drop out because her father was sick. I was so excited that they thought of me. There is a whole "media track" that so far, has proven to be really great. I've never been one to want to sit and listen to people talk for hours on end, but my classes have been great so far. It is really fun though, the older people in my classes always want to talk about what they do in their churches, and not what the "teacher" is talking about. They want to talk about the videos that they have edited and the tools they used to do it. It seems strange to me. They also really love to name drop. Not people's names but things like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier, firewire, pixels, and Photo Shop. Nobody cares that they know what those things are. Everyone under the age of 30 know what those things are. I don't want to sound mean, but the teachers could say A LOT more if everyone else would just listen. They should practice what they preach to their kiddos, "Only one person is allowed to talk at a time." I should mention that all the people in my classes are men. Not a judgement, just stating a fact.

Well, its 4:18 here in Orlando, dinner starts at 5:00 and people are lining up outside the ballroom that I am sitting outside of. Waiting in line for 45 minutes to get a table for dinner? Crazy. They will not run out of tables. Maybe they are really super excited about hearing Max Lucado speak after dinner. Although you might not know it was actually him speaking, because this morning the emcee announced that "Mack Lucatto" would be the key-note speaker. He is only one of the most popular Christian authors, how could he not know how to pronounce his name. Oh, well. Since the line is beginning to grow I should probably close my computer. I'm getting funny looks. I'm sitting on the floor, leggs crossed, listening to "Wicked" on my iPod, writing a post for my blog. I might just be the image of what they don't want the kids in thier ministies to become... Girl on a trip, going crazy because she can't find anywhere that has reliable wireless internet access ($10 for 24 hours), wanting to check her e-mail, facebook, and the many blogs that I can't get behind on. So much for leaving the world behind. I just can't do it. Thats not true. I could do it if I wanted to, I just don't want to. The only time I will voluntarily leave the comfort of my web-based world is to go visit Holly and TJ in the DR. I'll do it, but ONLY for you guys!

Now it is really time to go. I've been accidentally stepped on twice in the past five minutes. (Please, don't think poorly of me for this post.)

Love,
MoMo

S'mores

All About Ben & Drew

These boys are Ben and Drew, the twins sons of Michael and Heather some of our friends from Otter Creek. We got the chance to play with the boys for a while last Saturday night while Heather and Michael went to dinner. We had a blast with the boys, as you can see, they are incredibly adorable. The cutest little set of twins I've ever seen... so far. I know that Sheets boys are going to give them a run for their money when they are born! Holly and TJ actually went with us to the boys' house, so they had plenty of attention. Somehow, Drew (dark hair) still managed to get a pretty nasty bump and bruise while we were there. It took four of us to take care of two of them. We'd love to do it again, as long as the boys will have us!