Happy Birthday...

["partying" at Luke and Marie's wedding]

To my big sis!

Addiction

{Season 1}

This has been my life over the past, oh, 5 and a half months. I was always against the idea of getting sucked into a TV show that seemed to consume people's lives. I didn't want to become one of those people who scheduled their activities and plans around an hour episode of this or that.

Lost seemed to be one of those shows. I had seen a few previews here or there, but it never intrigued me enough to start at the beginning and enter into this world so many people loved. And besides, no one ever really talked about it, so I didn't even really know what the show was about. I knew no storyline. No plot. Then I got married!

Nathan had watched all but the final season (which aired his Sr. year so he already had enough on his plate) and he wanted to finish out the series. So in September, Nathan told me I needed to watch all 5 previous seasons by the end of the year, at which time they would be taken down from Hulu and I could no longer watch them for free.

I was hesitant. I didn't want to get sucked in. Then I watched the first episode. Needless to say, the addiction began. Thankfully the LA library has many seasons and episodes, so I have been able to check the DVDs out as to not watch any commercials. I have spent numerous hours engulfed in a brilliant story with outstanding writing. Nathan and I are now on the final season

and it is as good as ever.

It will be a little strange when the series finally ends and the story and characters are all wrapped out. I won't say I have regretted this commitment at all, but I'm not sure how quickly I will let myself get into another one.

-thoughts of Anna B.

Family Time

[Shaffer Fam]

Nathan and I got to go home for Thanksgiving. We love getting to go home to the absolutely beautiful NW, as well as getting to see family. And lucky for us, that's what this trip home was all about. Nathan took a couple vacation days from work, as well as the ones he was already going to have off, and we flew home on Tuesday morning. Nice thing about living in LA is that it only takes a couple of hours to fly home. (Although, we did have to get up at 4:10am to make it to the airport for our flight, then we had a layover in Reno before flying on into Portland) We got to spend parts of 5 days at home before flying back on Saturday.
Highlights of the trip:

-Flying with Nathan for the first time
-It was cold
-Snow
-Getting to wear long sleeves and sweaters-Mama's cooking
-Playing RISK with the fam
-Flannel sheets
-Seeing "Morning Glory"
-12am sales at Wal-Mart
-Seeing Myles and Katie
-Around the World Ping Pong
-Laughter-Rummikub
-Family Photos
-Hugs

[Mielke Fam]

-thoughts of Anna B.

He Put a Ring on It

[My beautiful wedding ring]

I finally decided that I wanted to get my engagement ring and wedding band put together. This decision was long in the making. Ultimately I wanted it done, I just didn't want to have to give up wearing my rings while it was being done. I finally decided I was just going to do it.

I walked into the jewelery store, told the lady what I wanted, and handed over my rings. She put them on her finger for safe keeping while we finished up the paperwork. I couldn't stop looking at her hand while we finished things up.

There is a connection with those rings, I never take them off. I will sleep, shower, cook, even paint with them still on. More than once I have had to pick paint off. This might sound crazy to some of you who don't mind removing your wedding rings, and don't get me wrong, I totally feel like this is a personal decision. It is not the same for everyone. The love of my life too the time, thought, effort, energy, and love to pick out my engagement ring. He did that for ME! There is something so special about that. We picked out my wedding band together, but he knew what he wanted and showed me which ones I could choose from. And you know what, he knew what I liked and wanted and so it was not that hard to decide. It was perfect!

I have been wearing a different ring on my finger so that people will still know I am married, but I don't like it. I can't wait until I can put the ring back on my finger that my very own husband chose for me. The one he selected for me. I know there is nothing magical about those rings. They are just pieces of metal with some stones in them, shaped in a circle. But it is what those rings represent that means so much to me. They represent commitment. Love. Honesty. Teamwork. Respect. Blessings. They represent the fact that I am a wife. That I have a husband. They represent that God has given me a life and a path that He wants me to live for Him. I may not always be the best wife, but those rings are a reminder of the wife I want to be. I need to be.

So now I wait. I wait for my phone to ring and the person on the other end to tell me that I can come pick up my rings. They are waiting for me. And even if I never see those rings again, I still know what they represent and who I need to be.

- thoughts of Anna B.

Cooking for a Husband

Since becoming a wife, I have begun to learn the art of cooking for a husband. Now, that doesn't sound so tricky, but it takes more skill than one might realize. It takes time, thought, energy, and most importantly, love. There is certainly a difference in thought from cooking for you and your roommate in college to cooking in your own kitchen for you and your husband.

I was very blessed to receive a "Joyce P." cookbook for our wedding. For those of you who don't know what that is, a lady from my church back home has put together a recipe book which contains recipes from most all the women in the church. There are over 200 pages (each page containing more than one recipe) with wonderfully sounding food, as well as entertaining stickers and comic strips.

In addition to that wonderful, very heavy cookbook, I also have a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that my Grandma gave me for a birthday and a very old Betty Crocker cookbook that came from the things of and elder women my dad and brothers helped move (don't worry, she was giving it away, they didn't just take it). And on top of that, allrecipes.com and cooks.com have been amazing resources. But the funny thing is, the foods that have become our "favorites" have come from the good ol' fashion cookbooks, not the internet.

[Lava Baby Cake - Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook]

One of my favorite things I have made thus far was a very rich, very gooey, very chocolaty dessert. Not only was it the best thing I've ever tasted out of my own kitchen, it was very fun to make. To create the "lava" of these Lava Baby Cakes, I had to melt chocolate in a sauce pan with a little cream. Once it cooled, I rolled it into little balls. I took the batter, pour it into each ramekin until it was about half full, dropped the little chocolate balls into the center and then filled the ramekin the rest of the way with batter. Quite simple, but the end result was heavenly! The chocolate cake was perfectly done on the outside and once the center was broken, all the lava chocolate goo came spilling out. Amazing! It was best when it first came out of the oven, but even heated up the next day was still fabulous.

[Cranberry Bread - "Joyce P." Cookbook]

The most recent baking success was a complete accident. I was getting ready to start dinner and as I was flipping to the correct page for the recipe, I happened to flip open to a page that said, "Cranberry Bread." I quickly scanned the recipe to see if I had all the ingredients. I did. I got out my bowl and started throwing the ingredients in. I used whole wheat flour, instead of white, and added raisins and almonds. I threw it into the oven and began making dinner as I had originally intended. About 40 minutes later the apartment began to smell like fall, with a pumpkin spice candle burning and Cranberry Bread in the oven. We had it for dessert that night, which was a treat (despite what your eyes tell you from the post, we do not eat dessert very often at all). I just ate the last piece of the bread for breakfast this morning, with Peppermint tea. This recipe will definitely be made again during this holiday season.

- the thoughts of Anna B.

"How old are you?"

"Young."

This has been the question asked of me and the response I give for quite a few years now. I got to thinking the other day, after someone asked me this question, "Why do I feel the need to say that? Why not just own the age I am."

I guess I've always hung out with friends that are older than me. My best friend in high school was three years older than me. I was a year a head in college, thus hanging out with friends a year to three years older than me. I dated and married a guy who is two years older than me. And now I am hanging out with a girl who is four years older than me.

People expect that I am older. I am 21. No older, no younger.

I also never thought or expected to be marred by 21. And I think that plays a part in feeling "too young" for people's expectations. Whenever anyone finds out that I am married their response is, "Married? But you're so young!" The culture we live in does not see the point in being committed to a lifelong relationship when you are still growing up. I do. I love it.

I have decided to be excited and embrace my age. Yes, I have accomplished a lot in my short 21 years of life and I am proud of it! Nothing to be ashamed of. I have traveled to Europe twice, gotten my Bachelors degree, and am married (not that those are the only accomplishments of my life).

God has blessed me. Life is good.

Breakfast Date

Who better than Abe Lincoln to eat your oatmeal with...