{Better Late Than Never}

Okay, okay, for real this time. I am seriously going to try to get into a regular routine of updating the blog with the exciting (and not so exciting) happenings of our life. But...for your own safety, better not hold your breath.

I know a lot has happened since I last updated, but I've been doing a horrible job of capturing things on film, or SD card more accurately, lately. So here's a brief and most-likely boring rundown:

-We attended no fewer than four weddings, showers and a funeral. All were beautiful celebrations of life, love, and Jesus Christ with close friends.

-We went to support our friend Chris's band, Sleeperstar, at their concert in Deep Ellum. We stayed out past 2am people. It was epic, both the concert and the fact that we managed to stay up that late without caffeine IVs.

-We hosted Kasper and Maria for a week while they were visiting the States from Denmark. Their stay was fantastic and outings included Tex-Mex food, a fireworks extravaganza, a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas barbecue, and a tour of Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

-We celebrated my 26th birthday at Hattie's. Two words: tomato bisque. Dinner was followed by a viewing of Eclipse, the most recent installment of the Twilight movie saga. My husband really loves me.

-We redecorated our bedroom. Most of it is complete, but the big blog reveal will have to wait until more of the final details are in place.

There are other things going on in our lives as well; most I'm just forgetting about and some I'm saving for future posts (mostly as insurance that I have things to write about).

For now though, I'll leave you with this tidbit. Lately when looking at photography blogs I've been challenged to imagine what the photos looked like SOOC (straight out of the camera). It seems like once I see a photo one way, I can't easily envision it any other way. It's incredible how editing can make the same picture feel so different.

A picture of Andreas from Hattie's in July (SOOC):

And now, with a few changes. I know I'm biased, but I think he is just so handsome.

Home Is Where The Hearth Is

The other night we had friends over for coffee and dessert. Andreas made this awesome fire.

Mmmmm, cozy. Shoutout to Mama Payne for making our pretty stockings.

Insight from The Eagles

I missed yesterday's post. Four days into the challenge and I failed to get something written. It was a busy Friday, and I was barely home at all. Last night was our work Holiday Party, and we had a great time with friends and co-workers. In fact, we shut that party down and were the last ones to leave!

Today's morning was full of Christmas preparations - gift wrapping, baking, etc. - and typical weekend chores - because who doesn't want to spend their Saturday morning folding laundry and paying bills? This afternoon we took a break from our productivity and got to hang out with some friends. We took pictures at Frisco Heritage Park, and I think some of them turned out really cute! It was a great location, but the weather was so cold we couldn't stand it for too long.

After pictures we determined that nothing says 'cozy evening' like Chicken Express and collectively decided to indulge. Old fashioned chicken tenders, creamy mashed potatoes, and gravy? Yes, please. An early dinner quickly turned into late night coffee. I absolutely love evenings spent with friends just sitting around chatting about everything and nothing, from budgeting to miniature potbelly pigs (I did NOT see that trend coming) to WordWorld. Nights like that remind me I should take it easy more often.

Chex Mania

I've been working on Christmas gifts for friends the last couple of days...

Things are starting to come together, but I still have a long way to go. Praise God for putting so many wonderful people in our lives.

NASCAR - Yes, you read that right.

Last Sunday Andreas and I went to NASCAR. I know, I know, it's not our normal scene. But we decided to venture out and experience something new. Welcome to Texas Motor Speedway, my friends. I am willing to bet that 75% of all RV sales can be attributed to NASCAR fans. They were serious about these RVs. There were elaborate scaffoldings built onto many of them where people hung out to watch the race, cook out, and enjoy adult beverages.

You can blame these two for our attendance to this event. Andi and Page were nice enough to ask us to tag along with them to the race. Thanks guys! We had a lot of fun! As a bonus, this picture also includes a subject that is rare in everyday living but a common NASCAR sighting: the mullet. Can you find it?!

Now this isn't an amazing picture of our group (all the people on my row looking at the camera), but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to feature a large man in overalls catching a midday nap at a loud, public sporting event. This blog post is becoming sorta like Where's Waldo.

Here Andreas demonstrates the proper safety precautions for a day at the race car track. Surprise, it was loud! At first when the cars were driving their practice laps I thought it wasn't too bad. But 35 cars driving past you at high speeds - it's loud. Real loud. Earplugs loud. This made casual conversation rather difficult, but we managed to socialize a bit.

And what's a NASCAR race without a collision? You have to love a sport where fans are hoping for an honest to goodness car wreck. This race didn't disappoint. That number 24 car belongs to none other than Jeff Gordon, one of the two drivers in NASCAR I actually knew of prior to this event. Look at the people cheer! I wish you could grasp the speed at which this all occurred. It all happened so fast! And once all the other cars drove past him, he turned his car the right direction and kept on going. Too bad the other car didn't come out as lucky. The driver was perfectly fine though, thank goodness.

All in all it was a good day. The weather was perfect, the race was exciting, and the people watching was definitely entertaining!

Fightin' Texas Aggie Football

This Saturday we headed over to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium to watch the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas football game. But first we enjoyed the day tailgating!

We caravaned with college friends and coworkers down to Arlington around lunchtime. JD and Brittany rode down with us and were definitely representing Arkansas. If you look closely, you can see more red behind them. We let some other Hogs join the party!

Nothing wrong with some friendly rivalry.

Andreas and Bobby discussed the finer points of life...

...and let someone else do the cooking. Mmmmm, there were burgers, chicken, sausage, and hot dogs!

Everyone knows it isn't an Aggie tailgate without washers.

Here Larame shows us proper washer-throwing form. I have to admit this game is much harder than it looks! Andreas and I played as a team one game and discovered we could definitely use some practice.

As the day progressed, our site became more and more popular! Look at all those Aggies.

Flip cup anyone? No thanks, not my cup of tea...er, beer.

By happy coincidence, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band came marching right by our tailgating site!

These boots were made for walkin'. Only Senior Corps members are allowed to wear these custom-made boots - an Aggie tradition. Check out the spurs!

The band hung out and played for a while.

Even Reveille came to say hello.

After a long day of food and fun, it was finally time to go to the stadium. It is incredible looking!

And if you think that's impressive, check out the inside!

And the sea of Aggie maroon! Okay, okay, there were some Arkansas fans there too, but I couldn't be bothered to snap pictures of them.

And here it is folks, the famous HD screen. It spans from 20-yard line to 20-yard line and is almost 13,000 square feet. Need some perspective? Each one of those tiny letters spelling out Mitsubishi Electric on the top of the screen is 5 feet tall. RIDICULOUS. Two people work inside the screens at each event and use an elevator to lower themselves into the seven story structure.

This is at the beginning of the game, when our spirits were still high.

This is what $8.50 looks like at Cowboys stadium. Actually I was pretty happy with that considering people were paying $8 for a beer. A single beer! Plus I love artificial cheese. I know, I know, it's disgusting. But there is just something about ballpark nachos that I can't resist. Top them off with chili, jalapenos, and pico de gallo and I'm in heaven.

By halftime we were in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Good thing Aggies always win halftime.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band signature ATM.

Even though we didn't win, it was an awesome experience. Thanks for sharing it with us JD and Brittany!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake is delicious. I mean it people. Pay attention.

It isn't your local grocer's typical, icing-covered sugar bomb, which don't get me wrong, I can fully appreciate from time to time - at a party, maybe after a long day of work, for breakfast (not that I know anyone who would ever eat cake for breakfast), or even for a laugh. Until now my personal interpretation of cake can't have been much different than an eight year old's. Cake layer. Icing. Cake layer. Icing. Sprinkles. What more do you need?

But my cake arsenal was lacking. I need cakes for different occasions, cakes that don't require me to wash 19 dirty dishes in the aftermath, cakes that don't certainly induce sugar comas, cakes with more subtlety. And then I discovered this cake. This beautifully unassuming cake, with it's sweet dimply crust and bursts of raspberry flavor. There's just something so nostalgic about it. Is it just me or do recipes with 'Buttermilk' in the title seem more wholesome? I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, but just roll with me here!

Anyway, this cake is a cinch to make, so make it now. No special occasion necessary.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 stick butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk*

3/4 cup raspberries

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Once it has reached the desired consistency, beat in the vanilla, lemon zest, and egg.

Slowly beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between the two, until just combined. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and smooth it out. Drop the raspberries into the batter evenly and sprinkle the entire cake with an additional tablespoon or two of sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown.

*Did you know you can make your own buttermilk?! Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit 10 minutes. I'm not going to lie. I haven't actually tried this myself, but I've seen the tip on a bunch of cooking sites!

Recipe adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com