30 What!?

Being in our 30's is weird. I'm not sure I like it. I'm not sure I like my husband getting older. There are a few gray hairs on his head which catch my attention from time to time—which will probably make him look more handsome as he develops more but I don't like that it means time is flying by. He turned 33 this year. I'm just glad he's not balding!

As per his request we went out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse where he ordered his usual steak and we both chowed down on the rolls—the best ever. I am still attempting to find a good copycat recipe.

While we were there I interviewed him:

Is there anything you've done this year you'd like to do again?
Go trout fishing and hunting.

What are you really good at?
Making people laugh.

What health problems do you have?
My gut is hanging over my belt.

In what ways have you changed in the last three years?
I can't be as aggressive in sports because I hurt longer. I can't eat the same crap as I used to. And I feel like I'm more confident in my job.

What have you done this year that you don't want to do again?
Go to Walmart construction training.

What kind of music are you listening to these days?
Country, 21 Pilots, Grouplove, and Bruno Mars

What book are you in the middle of?
See You at the Top by Zig Zigglar

Who do you look up to or want to emulate?
My Dad and best friend.

What amazes you?
How to this day, that sometimes I look at my wife and am amazed that we are together. It's totally awesome. I just look at her and think, holly crap, she's mine. Best feeling ever.

And on that high note we'll move on.

A few years ago Adam requested a birthday cake with no frosting. And I thought, "How can I make a cake without frosting and have it still taste…interesting?" And then I thought, "Aha! Ganache!" And came up with this DELICIOUS concoction:

The cake is Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake recipe. I make it the night before and wrap the layers in saran wrap while they are still just barely warm. In my mind it helps the cake retain moisture. I despise most cakes and it's because most cakes are dry (because most cakes come from a box.)

The next day a few hours before we're ready to eat it, I assemble the rest of the cake.
First, the layers get cut in half and chocolate pudding gets spread in between each one and stacked. This year I made the pudding from scratch and had great success. This too helps the cake taste ooey gooey chocolatey in your mouth. Yum.

Then chocolate ganache made from semisweet chocolate gets poured over all the layers. It's not smooth because I don't bother cutting the sides of the cake—which is fine—I don't want to waste any delicious chocolatyness.

Then I whip cream with vanilla, sugar, and a few dashes of cinnamon (which is perfection) and pipe it over the top. And lastly sprinkle Heath bar all over it.

It has been such a GREAT hit, (it's even better the next day coming out of the fridge) that we have given it the permanent title, Adam's Birthday Cake and I'm pretty sure it will be a tradition for the rest of his life. We will eat it at his funeral….which is getting closer.

Lucky birthday boy got sung to twice, the Marlex's came over and then later we took cake to Dafni's house and sang again! (As you can tell, this cake does not travel well—see right photo. But hey.)

Happy Birthday my love.

FREEEEDOM!!!

WE DID IT!!!

Thanks to everyone who supported us. Thanks to everyone who still invited us out…it's nice to be remembered even when we need to say no. Thanks to everyone who accepted our answer "our financial advisor told us we can't" as a viable!

We paid off the loan several months earlier than planned (and 14 years earlier than the required payments would have taken.). The best part? We surprised ourselves with this news! I haven't been adding up the money going into my business accounts (it's much easier NOT to watch it—bad for bookkeeping I know...) but on Adam's birthday I decided to do the math and—tah-dah! Best birthday present EVER!

Next step #3: 3-6 months of living expenses in a savings account. Here we go!!! We've decided to add emergency food storage to this step as well.

Addendum: Oct 4th
Below, Adam wanted a photo of us paying off the loan. Maybe if you squint really hard you can see that the payment was over $16,000. A huge chunk but so worth it.

In all, since we started this Dave Ramsey thing about 2.9 years ago (and then got REALLY serious in February) we've paid off my school loan, the car, purchased a second car in cash, and paid off Adam's loan. 

About a week after we became debt free I was driving home from the grocery store and a rush of happiness overtook me so much that I started laughing out loud and the tears of gratitude hit. I must have looked ridiculous (and I missed slowing down in a school zone…eeehhh.) I felt SO incredibly GRATEFUL for getting this obstacle out of our lives. Grateful to Heavenly Father for putting a plan in our path at a time when we were ready to listen (after backing out of a house purchase that would have been a massive mistake). 

This debt free thing truly is freedom, freedom for the soul.

Weird

This girl you see below is responsible for surprising us with free tickets to Les Misérables at the Dallas Theater Center. Dafni found them for ONE dollar folks—If I remember correctly, the tickets go on sale and are sold out in minutes. It's a pre-performance of sorts.

The theater is small and modern. Below is a photo in the hallway leading to the restroom. We walked in and were completely thrown into disorientation by the color. I like this shot—it's iconic in a way.

Some walls are magnetic and have yards of chain mail adhering to them. Although visually interesting from a distance…they also look cheap and…well, flat chested up-close. I imagine the walls will be redone at some point.

Friends waiting in the lobby.

The theater is like a giant cube. Inside all the seats are removable, the stage too. It can be formatted to fit any event need. There were no bad seats. We were on the second level and look how close we were to the action!

This particular rendition was fun to watch, although not my favorite. It was set in 1815-1832 France but the costumes did not stay true to the 1800's which was bothersome to me (I mean, some were actually modern.) And let's just say the trouble Fantine got herself into at the whore house was too explicit. The audience was gasping out of shock…not awe.

During some musical numbers, the actors stood at different places around the room. One took a seat next to Adam and kinda freaked him out! It was great.

On another note on some other different random day (can you tell I'm doing a photo dump?), we decided to try the Grub Burger Bar. We'd heard it was good.

And it was! But not for me. I seem to always try something a little too different. I went with a Thai Peanut Butter burger: Creamy peanut butter, roasted peanuts, cilantro lime coconut flakes, and Sambal mayo. Let's just say it was like eating a peanut butter sandwich with meat in it. My fault. I should have known it would be weird. Everyone else was pleased with theirs so I would recommend this spot.

And I just enjoy these shots, so I am posting them. Hah!

The Amazing RACE

Girls Camp this year…oh where do I start? I've put off blogging about it for a few months because I've had to let my feelings about it settle. It was difficult and humbling in a lot of ways.

Some of you wanted to know if I did crafts. I was asked to do the crafts again, but after two weeks of not feeling calm enough to accept the responsibility—I realized my answer needed to be no. If something is meant to be, the kind of angst I was feeling should not have been present.

Consequently it turned out I was needed elsewhere as the assistant camp leader for my girls. So I got to spend my days running around with them instead of hanging out in a craft room.

The theme was The Amazing R.A.C.E. Our youth leaders (girls ages 16 and 17) came up with it.
Remember to Act as Christ and Endure. I thought it was pretty good.

Each ward picked their own color t-shirt and team name. We went with NEON! Neon orange—which I loved because I could find the girls from afar. If we had a bigger budget I would love to get a t-shirt for every day of camp just so I can keep a better eye on everyone.

Last year was physically difficult (due to incapacitating back pain), this year was emotionally difficult. I love my girls, and I think that's why. I want them to have a good time. I want them to participate and build relationships with one another. I want them to make memories, great ones that will last, to build their testimonies that will cause them to come again next year.

However—I think some girls come for their own reasons and with their own ideas of what the camp experience should be. And ALL of them are teenagers. I give you permission to read between the lines here. Read a lot between the lines.

Good thing I love them!

What did I learn? Patience. Better leadership. Greater love. Inner calm, inner calm, inner calm. And appreciation for the adult leaders who helped ME.

Oh yeah, and chiggers. I learned about chiggers.

Don't think it's possible to attend camp and not come back changed. If you want to see what you are made of, go to girls camp.