...Bowling with the Stars

Have you ever bowled in the depths of space?... Me neither, but Cosmic Bowling on a Friday night at Time Square on Grand Pkwy is about as close as I think I'll ever get.  Allison wasn't feeling well this weekend and retired early on Friday night.  There was only one thing to do... get together a brodeo.  After many calls I had come to terms with the fact that many of my friends work early Sat. morning now which made the entourage a little thin (me and A buddy).  With only two of us we decided going to see "Be Kind, Rewind" at the Alamo Drafthouse was probably the better choice over bowling... so naturally we chose the 3 hour special from 11 to 2 AM that we like to call "Cosmic Bowling".  I gotta say, it was kinda weird at first having just two of us (who both suck at bowling), but after finding our lane among the crowd of mostly Seniors in HS it was a quick paced string of games and a bunch of fun!  I have to say, if you haven't been bowling... than hurling a glowing ball down a long wooden lane towards a huddle of short objects (shaped like everyone's favorite uncle) while drinking cheap beer from a pitcher (yes, I temporarily ignored my calling to higher standards in beer) must sound pretty stupid.  Well it is... yet so awesome!  The best part of the night for me was the end of our second game where on the 10th frame I bowled a turkey (my first and last of the night).  anyways, all that to say... If you haven't hurled a ball down a lane in a smoke filled environment in a while, dust of your bag and call the Flinstone's because it's good for the soul.  As they say, "the Dude abides..."

If you don't understand this last statement, please just go watch "The Big Lebowski"

JW 

would you like some vino with your valentine's?

If you are blessed with a special someone to call your hunny, then I hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day yesterday. For many, it could have been a unique tribute to Singles Awareness Day. John and I had the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's with a few of our loved ones. We decided on a great little place sometime last week, and decided we would splurge in honor of Valentine's. I explained the extensive itinerary for the evening to my dad, who seemed very intrigued. He politely asked if John or I would mind if my mother and him joined us. I insisted that would be perfectly fine and sure enough, earlier this week, we added Ab (my sister) to the reservation so as not to leave her out of this 'family affair'.

We arrived right on the dot at 6:30 to a quaint little restaraunt, Salud! Winery. We were greeted with imported cheeses, meats, and a glass of pinot noir. Yumm-o. Next came a delicious caprese salad that brought back wonderful memories of Firenze, Italy. There was a small kitchen in the back of the restaurant where they ferment and bottle their own wines. I am going to skip over the details and terminology of the process, because that seems to be John's specialty. Let's just say - it was neat.

The remainder of the night consisted of chicken parmiagan, pasta with zucchini and squash, fried cheesecake and a chocolate covered strawberry. Oh, and more flavorful wine pairings of course (including a chocolate orange port - a fav of john's). We each got to take home a bottle of the wine we prepared, after we labeled it with a cutom label from the event. Check out our sweet bottle! I sent the picture (our first post!) to Salud earlier this week, and they printed it onto one of the Valentine's label. What a great idea.

It was such a treat to be eating dinner with my whole family, which is a rare occasion these days. My dad is the sweetest man alive and will always be #1 - he picked up dinner for the whole table! We had the best time, and I couldn't be more thankful for their generosity. They are so understanding to the fact that John and I are soon-to-be poor newlyweds.

"The more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." -Vincent Van Gogh

peace.love.joy
-aj

i love crafts

Well, I recently added a link to one of my favorite blogs, design*sponge. I haven't visited in so long, so I have spent the last hour or so skimming the archived articles for tips & treasures. It is a surplus of resourceful information for any diy project, including a t-shirt quilt! If you had the pleasure of being in a sorority (or clubhouse, as john calls it) during your college days, you probably have about six bags (or $400 worth) of t-shirts depicting greek paraphenalial. Why I thought I needed to purchase one for every single event, still boggles me. I always have hopes and dreams of starting great craft projects. They are intriguing in my mind, but never seem to evolve in reality. However, I committed to sticking to this one, and I pledging on our blog for all to see ... and by all, I mean Lori, Tabaitha, & Donna (you are the only viewers we have right now) ;) I am going to compile my t-shirts together and finish a glorious Chi Omega quilt for my unborn girl who will surely be a legacy. John is definitely rolling his eyes right now. But, I would love accountability, so I am posting the instructions below if you would like to co-craft with me! I have to give credit to 'derek & lauren' from design*sponge in case they happen to meander across our blog and accuse me of plagiarising. happy quilting.

Here’s what you’ll need:-15 shirts-solid-color duvet cover-rotary cutter (you can buy one at jo-ann fabrics)-ruler-self-healing cutting mat -sewing machine-iron

1. Our duvet cover measures 80″ x 80″, so we cut out 64 squares, each measuring 11″ x 11″(32 from old shirts and 32 from the top piece of our existing duvet cover, which we took apart at the seams.) We were able to get 2-3 squares from each shirt.
2. Lay out squares on the floor in an 8×8 grid and arrange them into a pattern that you like. Pin numbered scraps of paper (1-8) onto the first square of each of the 8 rows so they stay in order as you stack them up and bring them to the sewing machine.
3. Using a 1/2″ seam allowance, sew squares with right sides together to create strips. Press open all the seams with a hot iron.
4. Once all 8 strips have been sewn, attach strip #1 to strip #2 and press open seam. Attach strip #3 to strip #4, press open seam, and then attach to strips 1 and 2. Repeat with remaining strips until they are all attached. Make sure to pay attention to the numbered squares so they stay in the right order!
5. With right sides together, attach top (patchwork) piece to the bottom piece of your old duvet cover, leaving a 3′ opening at the bottom.
6. Turn right side out, fold up raw edges at opening and attach 3-4 buttons (from one of the shirts!) to the bottom piece. Use the buttonhole function on your sewing machine to create buttonholes on the opposite piece.
7. Insert your comforter or duvet, button it up and settle down for a cozy afternoon nap!

Happy Valentine's week to all. May you and a special someone find the joy in each other's company & affection.

peace.love.joy.
aj (as if you thought john wrote this one)

Don't worry... be Hoppy!

Beer... That Hoppy goodness that almost all of us enjoy on occasion.  However the word "enjoy" is used very loosely in this instance.  Allison and I are actually some of those weird people you meet who really do find the taste of beer enjoyable. That is...unless you're drinking some nasty ultra-light lager ( you know, the kind that just tastes like stagnant water).  Yes, that's right... we're "beer-snobs".  From IPA's to unfiltered, full-bodied wheat ales... we love the taste of meticulously prepared beers from different cultures.  Tonight we indulged in a couple pints of "Old Speckled Hen".  This is one of my favorites, seeing as how I prefer the rich, creamy ales to lagers.  Straight out of England, this beer is perfect for a February evening and a good movie.  I could say more but Jason Bourne is waiting for us in 46 inches of HD glory!!!

-Hope for all,

JW

a little r & r

The lovely ladies of The Crossings had a delicious meal at Cottage Charm Tea House this afternoon. I highly recommend the Petite Appetite (even though we all know I do NOT have a petite appetite) - half a chicken salad sandwich and a tiny cup of chicken tortilla soup. yum! I am loving every opportunity to get to know these amazing women more & I am so grateful we had such a nice turn-out. 

Afterwards, John and I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine for a stroll around La Centerra. We made an unfortunate decision to go into Kirklands. I must say, the stench is an overwhelming combo of lavender, pumpkin spice, and vanilla. You must be thinking, what on earth do those three fragrances create? ... let's just say - disgust. We left quickly. 

Then, I received the greatest invitation to accompany the McCollough household to dinner. I just can't get enough Nicole, Michelle, Matt Pee-paw, Momma D, and Mr. Mc-C.  They are the most joyful family with HUGE hearts and I loved being a part of pizza night + the office + mini guitar hero stints. Can't wait for dinner with jane jones and nicole on wednesday! 

That's all for now. Just wanted to update you on my lovely Saturday in k-town. Miss all my Lubbockites, and think about you daily. Hope all is well - keep me posted. 

peace.love.joy

aj.

Greetings everyone- 

as you're soon to find out, Alli and I have very different approaches to writing and self-expression.  I tend to write less detail, leaving more for you to interpret... this is actually a reoccurring theme throughout all the different mediums of art that we explore together.  anyways, we hope that the balance of the two brings a refreshing experience to all of our readers as you catch up on our lives!

Hope for all...

JW

I simply couldn't wait. I had to begin expressing myself via the world wide web. This is a huge step, considering my mass paranoia. I became inspired by http://www.katymom.com/, and that led me to the Smith family blog, and more. Since I moved back to Houston, I am having to go through a few transitions. Hopefully, I will remember to update our blog to share my adventures with you. John is suppose to be simultaneously posting as well, so look forward to his whit and charm.

As for now, I am joyfully experiencing my time working for The Crossings. Matt introduced my position to the church as 'a blessing', but having this opportunity has blessed my life in more ways than you know. I spend a lot of time in a comfortable, red bucket chair at Dunn Bros Coffee in Katy, where the barista has learned I would rather order a strawberry-mango smoothie than a latte. I have the pleasure of running into a new friend, Kyle, and his sweet son, Noah. My duties consist of networking in the community at Chamber meetings, delivering bagels to local schools to show our appreciation for the staff, adding my personal design touches to the worship venue, and assisting in small design tasks for publications. One of the most recent accomplishments is our NEW website that launched today -- check it out! Basically, it's a jack-of-all-trades position, and I couldn't be happier. John and I are constantly praying for this season of our lives. We relish the time we have on Monday nights at the Nelson's with new & old hearts to fellowship with.

Updates on the wedding plans are slim and far between. We have put a few details on hold, so that we can focus on the big things (i.e. Where to live & how to save). We have booked our exciting honeymoon destination - Riviera Maya, Mexico, here we come! Our dance lessons start a week from today, and I am expecting it to be very thrilling. Our Save the Dates should be finished in a week or so, thanks to Matt Powell for taking John and I's pictures last minute. Stay tuned for exciting updates.

Thanks for stopping by. I am new to blogging... so bear with me! Be blessed.
peace.love.joy.
-aj

This is the beginning of our lowly blog!