I'm pretty sure it's alcoholic

Granted, it says SHC, for Signature Hot Chocolate. And there's a shot of hazelnut in there, too. But man, it tastes so decadent, so sinful, I'm pretty sure there are laws against drinking this stuff in the morning, especially on the job. Divine.

And to do his part to celebrate this first chilly morning (it's about 55 right now! yikes!) Brad indulged in a caramel apple cider. Which makes me think of Jenny since she introduced me to that lovely beverage. Until then I felt like an outsider at Starbucks since I'm not a coffee drinker. I wonder how Jenny and Rich and their 2.5 girls are doing.

Top Ten Reasons I Loved This Weekend

1.) Due to midterm-week, I didn't have to teach on Friday. Time to get caught up with second job stuff.

2.) Time to veg with Brad on Friday night, watching Kath & Kim, The Office, and SNL on VHS, taped from a busy Thursday night. While eating cake that Brad made for me, for my birthday. He made it. All by himself. And it was good.

3.) Sleeping in on Saturday morning, but waking up early enough to work on my current crafty project before Brad woke up.

4.) Garage-sale-ing with Brad, being adventurous and trying breakfast at Chick Fil A (better sausage than McDonald's, no surprise), driving in and out of rainstorms... all in the same neighborhood (very cool skies!).


5.) More time to work on crafty project for fun. And time to catch up and chat with my sister. Despite both having flexible schedules this semester, they never seem to match up and it's frustrating sometimes.

6.) Good conversations with Brad about hard-to-say things. We don't have many conflicts, thank God, but that makes it even more hard to talk about things when they come up. I'm so blessed to have a husband who talks and even more importantly, listens with both ears and open heart as well. What could have been a tough conversation was just so easy.

7.) Fun time celebrating my b-day with the family. We brought Pizza Mias from Pizza Hut (advertising works!). I wanted to try them, but you have to buy three to get them for $5 each. So we brought them to dinner, and they were good! (And I found out that you can buy them individually for about $7. Love a bargain.) Also featured Saturday night: oreo ice cream pie, homemade by Chris. Amazing. Skype-ing with the little girls and Beth and Rico in Michigan, so cute and fun to see them. And generous gifts-- gift cards for Target, plus the beginning of my Fiesta-ware collection in gorgeous red. So fun!

8.) A super-productive Sunday! For October and November my focus at my second job has shifted to data-entry big time. I got about 40 files entered today! Only 260-some to go!

9.) My husband's creativity blossoming! After a discussion about omelets with Chris last night (I don't know how to make them since I don't like eggs), Brad decided to experiment and make an omelet this morning! He chopped up some red pepper and added some sharp cheddar cheese. And he said it was good.


10.) A free haircut! I haven't had one since August and my ends were getting a bit split... and in the interest of schedule and finances, recruited who else, my dear husband to cut my hair! And he did a great job!

Maybe this post should be named Top Ten Reasons I Love My Multi-Talented Husband.

Friends don't let friends bake in Florida

There are corn muffins from the Jiffy box. Seriously. I blame the sea level. But I'm so puzzled. I couldn't have created sombrero-looking corn muffins if I had tried!

He got me!

Tuesday night was the final night of our Theo class at church, and we had a pot-luck party at a couple's house in Fort Myers. I brought, as requested, the apple dumplings from this site. It pains me to present these as a home-made item as the ingredients are apples, crescent rolls, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and Mountain Dew. It is embarrassingly caloric and far too easy to make to accept any praise. But they are go-od.

Brad had work to do on his school work so he stayed at home.

Or so I thought. While I was out, Sneaky Pete ran to the store, purchased a cake mix and eggs, came home and made me a CAKE! He even threw in some chocolate chips and a big scoop of peanut butter just for fun! But while it was baking he realized that frosting doesn't come in the box, so he had to dash back out and pick up frosting!

When I came home, the house smelled amazing, Brad had completed his reading for school, and we got to party a little. (No, Court, that's not a euphemism.)

Lighting the candles... (see the wall of boxes in the background?)


Four times eight = 32. Clever man. The birthday candles are packed, but the tealights are still out!


"How do I frost this?"


I am so very proud... and so full of cake. We nibbled on the cake pretty much all week, and also took it to family night on Saturday where it received high praise. I'm so proud of my sweet, adventurous, thoughtful man!

We also broke the rules and opened presents on Tuesday night. I received a darling box from my mother with stickers all over it-- very festive and appreciated, Mom! Inside were real! autumn! leaves! and a sweet Susan Branch calendar. And a check that will go toward some fun shoes, I'm pretty sure. I also opened Grandparents' card and check-- thank you both so much! My present from Brad was a necklace I've been wanting for a while--


My mother gave me the pearl, and I wanted it re-set and strung on a chain. We shopped around until we found a mom-and-pop place that would do it for less than $50-- much less, actually, and they were terribly accomodating and kind. So nice to find shops with a personal touch. (P.S. You can also sort of see my homemade haircut, too! I'm thrilled with it! Somehow I convinced Brad to try it on Sunday, and he did a wonderful job. Straight across the bottom, plus long layers! Impressive. I just noticed that it looks crooked in the picture, but I'm leaning. I promise it all lines up and doesn't look weird.)

Such a lovely birthday week I had.

Who's counting?

I've been around for thirty one years and 364 days. Tomorrow is 32. I'm not ashamed or uneasy with my age, rather, I relish being out of my self-defining 20s and especially being done with the angsty teens. I love my 30s, feeling comfortable in my skin and excited about possibilities on the horizon.

I came across a blog with lists (could anything be more fun?!) and this one struck me as a good exercise. Since life is rather hectic these days, I appreciate the reminder to stop and reflect. It's written as a weekly reflection, but I'm broadening it to cover my past year. Credit goes to Marc, whom I don't know, but whose writing is a lot of fun to read. Here are his 20 reflection questions:

1.) What did I learn last week? – If you have trouble answering this question, it’s time for a change. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you should learn something new every week.
2.) What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week? – Reflecting on your accomplishments is a healthy way to raise self confidence and contentment. It’s also an effective way to track your progress.
3.) Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why? – It may open up your mind to new passions and goals, or simple pastimes worth revisiting.
4.) What’s the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week? – Everything else is secondary, and should be treated as such. Nevertheless, this question will also shine light on other noteworthy tasks.
5.)What can I do right now to make the week less stressful? – Set reminders in your calendar, get your laundry done, fill the car with gas… organize yourself.
6.) What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week? – The idea here is to learn from your struggles and better equip yourself for future encounters.
7.) What was last week’s biggest time sink? – Steer clear of this in the future. Setup physical barriers against distractions if you have to.
8.) Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped? – Physical clutter, mental clutter… eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may shine bright.
9.) What have I been avoiding that needs to get done? – Pencil in a time to get these things done. For any 2-minute or less tasks, consider scheduling them first thing Monday morning.
10.) What opportunities are still on the table? – If it’s still available and you want it, make a concrete plan to go after it this week.
11.) Is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to? – Regular communication can solve problems before they fester. Always keep an open line of communication to those around you.
12.) Is there anyone that deserves a big ‘Thank You’? – Take time each week to thank the people who have helped you. Your kind gesture will not go unnoticed.
13.) How can I help someone else this coming week? – The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. If you help them, they will remember you when you need help.
14.) What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 years? – You’ll never make any progress in life if you don’t setup realistic goals for yourself.
15.) Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals? – If the answer is no, something needs to change.
16.) What’s the next step for each goal? – Knowing the next step is the key to accomplishing the whole.
17.) What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week? – The answer can act as a great source of motivation. If nothing exists, schedule something to look forward to.
18.) What are my fears? – Consciously address your fears each week and slowly work on resolving them. It’s all about taking baby steps.
19.) What am I most grateful for? – It’s a smart way to keep things in perspective, and something you should never lose sight of.
20.) If I knew I only had one week to live, who would I spend my time with? – Another helpful reminder… Life is short. Spend more time with the people you care about.
Take 30 minutes every Sunday and give yourself the gift of self reflection. It has worked wonders for me, and I am confident it will do the same for you.

So today as I have a bit of free time, I'm pondering.

In other news, we woke up on Sunday night at 11:30 to the sound of glass breaking. Not such a fun sound. We both got up with a jolt, and Brad got out the baseball bat (brake club, actually) and we toured the house. We didn't find any broken windows or anything, and now believe that it was a vase or glass inside one of our many packed boxes. We had just taken all the plywood shutters off the windows and it freaked us out! But thankfully no major harm was done, and we'll probably find the broken object when we unpack in a few years. :)

Appearing over the verizon store

Apparently they control the skies these days.

The end of another week.

If airfares are too expensive...

...just dream that you took a trip!

I had the most wonderful dream last night! Usually my dreams are weird and somewhat disturbing, but last night was a nice break and was totally a gift from God. I've been feeling burned out lately, working lots of hours and dealing with difficult families (parents of students in our tutoring company). It's hard to put on love when families show an air of entitlement, attitude, etc. They're getting free tutoring, no charge at all, and can't act grateful or even show up sometimes. It's frustrating, especially since the state requires particular attendance rates, etc., in order to pay us. Anyway, it has been frustrating.

I'm also a bit burned out from teaching at the university. I have the same class 8 times, which is a dream to prepare for but boring by the second class. This burnout has been causing me to re-evaluate where I want to go with my life. Do I really want to pay a zillion dollars and work my tail off to get a masters in education? Do I want to just go have babies and forget careers for a while? (I know-- pick up your jaw off the floor. I'm turning 32 next week and the clock ticks louder. Yes, I think about kids.) Do I want to go into counseling? Pastoring? It hasn't been a swirly tornado of wondering, but definitely something I've been pondering. If I don't like education anymore, which I know God gave me before, what do I do?

Then last night in my dream I was interviewing for a job at the first school at which I taught in real life-- a private girls school in Baltimore. I loved my time at BMS, loved my students, loved my colleagues. I didn't blog then so I don't remember the negatives, the stress, the down-sides. I know it wasn't all easy, but I remember liking the challenge and the atmostphere a lot. In my dream I got to visit with old friends, former students who had all grown up into lovely young women, share hugs and tears with colleagues who were going through hard times, and then interview for a job there. I remember wondering if Brad would like Baltimore, and if we would find a church there. It was so very real!

And so very happy. I woke up this morning with a renewed energy and renewed focus. I do love education, teaching, children, the energy of the school day and school year, the little mold-able minds, the sweet hearts yearning for attention. I love girls schools, I love private schools. Such a happy morning. Such a lovely trip!

In other news, Brad is completing course 2 of 5 this weekend. His compliance program is 5 courses, and he is finishing up the second. Three to go, Love! You can do it!

Jiminy Cricket is still living in our attic. His chirping is intermittent and we've almost learned his sleeping schedule. Apparently the TV wakes him up, as he likes to chirp loudly (over the living room now) when the TV is on. I read online that the lifespan of crickets is 6 to 8 weeks. We're counting.

The weather is turning a bit cooler now, and we're loving it. We haven't walked every night, but the cooler air beckons loudly. The Miata is getting a lot of use, and the roof has been down a lot. Such a nice treat after a very hot and humid summer. It still gets hot at noon, but the mornings and evenings are delightful. It's so funny-- up north the winters were depressing and sad. Down here the summers are that way for me. I did find out that SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, does vary by region. Makes sense-- the nasty hot summers down here make me cranky and unhappy, and the temperate winters are my happiest time. (Want to visit?)

And last night I experimented with a healthier pizza recipe! I used Brandon's pizza crust recipe and tweaked it a bit, and made our own pizza sauce from a Chef Boy*ardee copycat recipe (we love that sauce, but it's just full of junk). Here's my recipe, partly for you to try if you like, partly so I don't forget it:

Crust:
3/4 c warm water
2/3 t sugar
1 t instant yeast
1 c wheat flour (next time I'll use 2/3 c wheat)
1 c white flour (next time I'll use 1 1/3 c white)
1 T olive oil
parmesan cheese

Sauce:
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 t oregano (maybe 3/4 t next time)
1/4 - 1/2 t Natures Seasonings (in the spice aisle- no MSG in there)

Toppings:
Boar's Head pepperoni, sliced or diced
lots of parmesan cheese
Scant covering of Sargento Mozzarella and Smoked Provolone shredded cheese. This is the best pizza cheese ever.

Preheat the oven to 425 and make sure the pizza stone is inside on the bottom rack.

Make the dough: dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water. After a minute or so throw in the flour and mix with a fork to form a ball, adding extra flour as needed so it's not sticky. Pour olive oil over it and turn to coat the dough; let sit for about 15-30 minutes to rise and rest.

Mix up the sauce so ingredients can marry. Let sit while the dough rises.

Press dough into an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake on middle rack until you see some brown spots, about 5-10 minutes.

Top with sauce and toppings. Be liberal with the parmesan but conservative with the mozzarella. Slide onto hot pizza stone and bake until it looks good to you.

Wheat in the crust, plus homemade sauce, makes this healthy. Right?

Not everyone has disappeared.

Sometimes we all need a change of pond.

As I walked to meet Brad to go home, two of these big boys were crossing the big patio area between two ponds on campus. They were as big as dinner plates! One was bold and bee-lined it for the new pond. The other was timid and would hide in his shell as soon as anyone came close. He'd pull his head and limbs in with a jerk and would smack his belly onto the ground-- so funny. Some students eventually picked up the turtles and put them near their desired destination as they were going to have to cross a street.

The weekend

The sidewalks are empty as students have left for fall break. oh happy day.

Summer weather remains

It's quite close to being fall here, as the temperatures usually change from 90s to 80s around the end of October. We're still getting lots of breathtaking cloud formations and summer rain. Here are two for your enjoyment:

I imagined standing at the edge of the rain, half soaked, half dry. That would be cool.


And out the other side of the car was this! At the same time!


One thing I really love about Florida is the sky. The clouds are always beautiful and ever-changing. Really fun.

In other news, the cricket was silent last night. There was much rejoicing when we laid our heads down. But this morning we woke up and learned that he has moved locations, and now is living over our bedroom it seems. We're learning to make peace with this new noisy roommate.

It's Friday, or Fried-Day as Mom says, and we're due for a weekend. This week has been rather sleepless for one reason or another, and we're just tired from lots of working. Brad has his paper to work on all weekend, and I have tutor-coordinating work to do. But despite the busy-ness, the long hours, the house-uncertainty, the unknown, we are doing well and are feeling positive in spirit. While Florida has been a rough time for us, we are feeling like we're seeing a few reasons for this time-- Brad's program and the Theophostic ministry. Both have been tremendously inspiring and life-giving lately, and we are certain they are blessings from God.

Have a happy weekend!

Things to be happy about

It's only one cricket, not an infestation. Very happy about this.

The chirps do come and go, so it's not constant.

Brad located it.

It's not in the a/c vent like we thought.

It's in the can light. Brad disassembled it successfully. Wait, it's not in the can light. It's in the insulation in the attic. (Not so happy about this, actually. But keep reading.)

Had a funny Say Anything moment. Brad decided to try to look around up there. But being that the hole is only about 6 inches in diameter, he couldn't stick his head up there. So we attached the web camera to the laptop, and he put the camera up there along with the flashlight, and could see on the laptop screen. Except that the camera cord is short, and he was at the top of the ladder, so I stood with the laptop as high over my head as I could reach. And then sang, "In Your Eyes," Lloyd-Dobler-style. Sometimes I'm clever.

We did actually get sleep! Jiminy's location is in the hallway, which is the highest point of the house, and produces a lovely echo (at least that's what he thinks). It was quite loud in the house. But a few extra fans in the bedroom drowned out the noise and we slept ok. (Except for both having weird dreams. Was it the fans? Who knows.) It was a bit like camping. Involuntary camping.

In other news, I'm the newest hot model in town. I'm in a fashion show at the mall this weekend. But truth be told, it's not because they chose me. I saw in the paper online that a store was seeking models for their fashion show and so my friend Ashley and I will go get fitted today, and then strut our stuff on Saturday. We don't get anything free, but do get a 40% discount on clothes. Hmm. Smells like a sales pitch to me.

All else is going well. Our Theophostic class is drawing to a close, and the small group phase starts soon. We still love this process a lot and have had some really powerful moments with God this way.

Brad is working on his big paper on interviewing. It's going to be really good-- we worked on the outline together last weekend. I'm tremendously proud of him, and he enjoys it. What a huge blessing. Certainly something to be happy about!

Wild times in Lehigh

I just jumped out to run a few errands. While sitting at a light under the 75 overpass, I spotted a huge snake in the marshy grass by the exit ramp. Huge. He kept sticking his head up to see what was in front of him. Eww.

Then on the way home, I lost some rubber on the road while screeching to a standstill in the fast lane of a 45 mph road. Because the guy two cars up didn't want to hit a turtle.

Oops, we did it again.

We went for a walk, second day in a row. I pretty much have a six pack and buns of steel now, and Brad has been flexing in the mirror and can't fit through doorways except for sideways, he's so huge. And I had baked Lays for lunch instead of greasy Doritos. I'm pretty much a model of supreme health.

Except that my students are all ticking me off like crazy this week. It's not a full moon, so I'm not off my rocker and they're not lunarly-affected, but seriously! I've had to snap at two classes for being loud and disrespectful! Dumbheads.

I'm playing around with html these days, stretching my brain and learning something new. I don't know a lot, but what I'm learning I enjoy. I'm working on our New York blog for next year and customizing it up. Very fun. And also I changed the format of this blog just a tad. You'll see the links at the left (the blogs I read) are now a little differently spaced out. Smart Blogger automatically sorts them with the most-recently-updated first!

Today is Friday for Brad as he's taking tomorrow and real Friday off to work on his paper. He's in a class on interviewing and interrogation, and has yet again found his calling. He is so just perfect for this field, it gets me excited just thinking about it. He has to write a 20 page paper and has been doing research the past week or so. It's not due until November something but has been hanging on his shoulders like dead weight. So he will make some great headway on that this week.

There are still numerous hoops to jump through before we actually get to move to New York next year, so if you think of us, please just pray for guidance. We have some decisions to make, and some circumstances have to just present themselves. Lots of changes brewing in the Bressler household!

I hear it's getting cool up north... enjoy fall, friends. We are just getting a break from the 90s and have had morning temps into the 70s, hooray. It's beginning to be comfortable!