Sunday Sunday Sunday!

This morning we went to Grace Baptist Church for Sunday School in the Young Marrieds class. :-) This was our second time there and we once again just love the people that are in the class as well as the teaching. They seem to be a tight group and are very welcoming and friendly. We're looking forward to getting to know them more and build relationships there. We're planning to check out their evening worship service since it's more contemporary; that's a better compromise for our Southern Baptist-Presbyterian backgrounds! This week we're hoping to go to the small group Bible study that is starting on Thursday nights for newly-marrieds. One of our new couple friends is leading it. It's really been encouraging how this couple and another couple in the class have contacted us and have genuinely wanted to get to know us more and have fun together.

After church we just laid low around the house - took a nap, played a little Lego Batman on the X-box, and I found out my car battery is corroded! I'll be fixing that tomorrow, after I drop off Carlyle at the MARC station so I'll have a car just in case. Carlyle is doing his Fantasy Football draft with his coworkers.

Here's my class schedule for the fall: (FYI, HESP=Hearing & Speech Sciences)

HESP 400 - T/Th 9:30-10:45
HESP 311 - T/Th 5-6:15
HESP 600 - W 3:30-6:00

So that's two undergrad classes (prerequisites) and one graduate class. 311 is Anatomy, Pathology, and Physiology of the Auditory System. It covers the anatomy of the ear and pathways for transmission of sound energy through the peripheral and central auditory system; the causes, development and effects of pathological conditions contributing to temporary or chronic hearing impairments.
400 is Speech & Language Development in Children, so hopefully I'll already have a heads up for most of that! 600 is the grad class, it's Instrumentation in Hearing and Speech Sciences; it covers the types and principles of operation of electronic equipment used in the hearing and speech sciences.


Luckily, I have no classes on Mondays and Fridays! I have huge gaps in between my days on Tuesday and Thursday, so I'll probably fill that time helping out in the lab for my graduate assistantship. I'm hoping I won't need to go to campus on Mondays at all; due to the assistantship it'll make sense if I need to be there on Fridays. 


Family: we're planning to come home this weekend - we'll leave on Friday as soon as we can (when C gets off work) and we're planning on staying the night in Blythewood and then going to the lake for Saturday & Sunday night. We're looking forward to seeing everyone!

Biking, running, and a fabulous dinner

This afternoon we went out exploring in our neighborhood. We have a multi-purpose bike trail that starts across the highway from our apartment neighborhood that we've been wanting to check out. Since I was still feeling some ankle pain, I took my bike and Carlyle jogged along with me. We went 2.5 miles and came back (so 5 total).  It was a great trail; almost all of it was in the shade and there were a few hills to coast down / struggle up and there was great scenery along the way. We'll definitely do it again and go further when we're both on bikes... we just need to put air in C's bike tires first.

For dinner I made Italian chicken with spinach penne alfredo and garlic bread on the side (as perfected by Jennifer Cain in our college apartment living!).

It was pretty easy to make, but it was my first time making it and I just kind of invented it on my own.

I preheated the oven to 325 degrees F and lined a baking sheet with foil & sprayed it with nonstick spray generously.
I dipped the chicken breasts in a beaten egg and coated them with Italian seasoned Panko-style bread crumbs. They were really crunchy though after baking in the oven, so I think next time I'll soften them a little in milk or something.
I baked them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I boiled salted water and cooked the penne pasta (about two cups) and added the chopped baby spinach towards the end to wilt. I drained it in a colander and mixed it in with warmed alfredo sauce.

We loved it - Carlyle enjoyed it and says he'd like to have it again, so it's a winner!

first days

Maybe I'm not the only one, but I definitely am cursed when it comes to the first day of school. I don't exactly remember what all happened on the first days of preschool and kindergarten, although I'm certain there were plenty of tears and separation anxiety. I'm not sure about middle school - I think I've mentally blocked out most of it for the benefit of my survival (who hasn't?).

High school I definitely remember - it was my second day wearing contact lenses (so I wouldn't have glasses and would look way cooler) and I was only supposed to wear them for a few hours. It was my first time having to catch the bus, and in the rush of things I forgot my purse with my contact case & solution. Sure enough, at about the time I was supposed to take out my contacts, I rubbed my eye and it got lost in my eye! If you wear contacts, you know about how this can happen. I remember my best friend, Sarah, trying to help me to not freak out. It eventually came out at the end of the day, and I had no where to put it. I was off to tennis practice / tryouts... with one contact in, one out. I had zilch depth perception, and it was completely embarrassing! I was swinging at the baseline for balls that were really dropping closer to the service line.

My first day of college classes was a train wreck, too. I was on my way to my first class - English 131 - when suddenly rain began to pour from the sky. Of course, I was walking from my freshman dorm which was about the farthest from everything on campus. Everything in backpack was soaked - all of my new (read: expensive) books from the bookstore were completely water damaged and wrinkled, and the worst of it: my cell phone was completely ruined.

Yesterday was my orientation day for grad school. Everything was going great until I was walking out of a building with a few new acquaintances and failed to notice a step at the door. I rolled on my ankle and I think I hit the floor. Thankfully, I didn't completely sprain my ankle, but it's still a little sore today. I'm just hoping that my first day of classes goes well on Tuesday!

I want to give props to Carlyle - Wednesday night I made pan-grilled salmon for dinner and completely charred the outside spice rub. Charred=black. The skin was crispier than I can get bacon. He was a total trooper and ate most of it, though he did question if there was a health risk via carcinogens lol! I am proud to say that this was the first time I think I've burned dinner since we've been married, so I'm doing alright I think. :-)

Please pray for us as I'm starting grad school and our schedules and interactions are about to change. My schedule will put me coming home about 7:00PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Carlyle wants to start cooking dinner when I start school, so I'm of course excited about that. :-) We're also PTL because my savings bonds that my parents gave me are perfectly paying for my tuition this semester - the interest is just under the tuition amount, so we're all set for taxes.

point & purpose

I wanted to start a blog about our married life especially now that we're so far away from friends and family as a way to keep in touch. I'm planning on giving brief updates about what's going on in our lives, as well as share recipes (& flops) along the way. I hope it brings a smile to your face or makes you laugh!