18 semanas, and date night!

18 weeks! Not too much to report this week. I am definitely showing more and more, so it's becoming apparent to the outside world and those who didn't know that we were pregnant that I am, in fact, with child. I just love it. Last night I was laying in bed and was so distracted by Mysterious Kiser's little kicks that I couldn't sleep from happiness and my mind wandering.

Last night was also date night! We headed to MVista to see what (cooked, don't worry!) sushi we could rustle up. That place never disappoints, and the company definitely never disappoints, either! We got the potstickers, a Jade Roll (my very, very favorite tempura fried roll), split the orange chicken with brown rice, and shared a pot of blooming white tea. A little slice of Heaven!

1. Colin was wearing his post-shower towel around his head and shoulders like Mother Theresa... then invited Abner in for a father/dog chat.
2. I oughta stop wearing that black maxi dress. It's going to get stretched out :( But it is my absolute favorite, most comfortable article of clothing.
3. Colin with the remnants of our sushi roll.
4. I love this man. My soul mate.

grace and peace to you!

it feels like spring.

1. Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! We definitely don't treat it like the huge relationship-altering holiday it seems to have become to many, but we relish the opportunity to take one another out and speak love in an active way. Colin, sushi, and a bottle of Merlot made the night beautiful and peaceful.

me about to tear into that Jade Roll. helllooo.

2. A dream of mine is being actualized this coming May-- We are going to see Cirque du Soleil!! The show that's coming to Columbia is Alegria. Our seats are so good I'm convinced we'll be able to high-five the clowns, for real. SO excited, you guys! Thanks, Colin!

3. Love this post by Color Me Katie. It will make you smile!

4. Thank you for this, seventeen-year-old Zooey Deschanel.

5. I laughed so hard when I read this article. 'homeless chic'.

6. Check out Brooke Waggoner if you've never heard of her. Her music is beautiful, delicate, and happy. I love listening to her and hearing random harps or banjos thrown in... her album Fresh Pair of Eyes (2007) is so good, and it makes me sad it took me so long to hear of her!



Have a wonderful week and enjoy the beautiful weather!

it is so weird that it's 2011.

1. Last night Colin and I got to celebrate our four year (fifth annual) first date anniversary! That might sound silly to some (I mean, how many anniversaries can one really celebrate?), but for us it marks the beginning of something really sweet, and something big that God did in both of our lives. That's worth celebrating, if you ask us!

2. This morning I purged my closet. I love doing that, and try to every year at least. I was motivated by one of the blogs that I read daily, called Kendi Everyday. I just love her blog, and her style inspires me so much! She started a series a couple of weeks back on how to create a "Working Closet", as she calls it. A Working Closet is one that you can step into and not feel a) overwhelmed or b) like you need to go shopping immediately. It's a closet that has good, versatile, and useful pieces of clothing which allow you to create an outfit for any scenario without feeling stressed. Purging allows you to assess what you really do have, what you need to buy, and what you don't need. Read Kendi's article on purging here.

photo via Kendi Everyday.

3. Another thing. Recently I have become extremely interested in breakfast foods. Why? I have no idea. I really always have been the type of person to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and just wait until I feel ready to eat something lunch-like. Until I saw this post on Apartment Therapy about one way to prepare cream of wheat and literally drooled all over my computer :)


OH! and, this article as well, on steel-cut oats. I've never had them, but I am easily put off by oatmeal because of its tendency to get glue-like and mushy. Mmmm. Thanks to my wonderful Mama K (hi, Mama!) and Apartment Therapy, I now know a little more about them and how to prepare them.


4. Also, I just recently got a job working at a new upscale Soccer/Sports pub off of Bower parkway on Harbison called the British Bulldog Pub (Woo hoo for being a college grad?)! Colin and I decided that something flexible and a little more fluid would be a good idea for me at this point in time. I have really missed having an opportunity to be around different kinds of people, as well. All that to say, this place is really going to be awesome, serving traditional British fare, such as bangers and mash (do i hear an Arrested Development quote coming on?), fish and chips, and cottage pie. There are also some more American-friendly dishes, like various salads, sandwiches, burgers, salmon, and pasta. We have 28 different beers on tap, too, so come out and visit! We are doing a soft opening this next week, starting Monday, and we're open until 12 am on weeknights/2 am on weekends. Located next to the Tobacco Merchant and Miyo's.

grace and peace!
the wife.

Camon Sushi.

so i really should have mentioned this in the previous post, but it was long and i was distracted. but, in an earlier post we talked about sushi in columbia, and where the best place to get it was. Colin and I have been everywhere-- Inakaya (pretty decent), Miyo's (great, but we have worn out that menu for sure), Tsunami (trendy, mediocre), Sushi Yoshi (no.)... but never had we ever been to Camon on Assembly. we had heard rumors that it was "by far" the best in Columbia, that it was authentic and quaint... but because of a few horrible reviews and cries of "it's way overpriced!" we never went.

but oh, we went on friday for my birthday! seriously, guys. i keep thinking about it now.

i liked the atmosphere. you walk in the first door and you have to slide a traditional japanese paper door to the side. you get a sense when you sit down that the people eating there have eaten there many, many times before. at first glance the menu may seem too expensive or overpriced, but you have to wait until you see the rolls to judge. their dragon roll, which was BY FAR the best sushi roll i've ever eaten, is $15.50. that sounds like a lot, until you see it. it is MASSIVE. it's a traditional dragon roll (only about 2x the size), but the reason it's extra special and yummy is that they put a little bit of cream cheese and then some softshell crab in it. gah. another plus? it was just the right temperature. i hate cold sushi. it needs to be a little warmer than room temperature (not the fish, but everything else) and melt in your mouth. accomplished. Colin and I also ordered some edamame (of course), the rainbow roll (deeeelish), the sashimi platter (deelish, and so, so fresh), and it came with a seaweed salad (which was just right), and we shared two large Sopporos. they even brought out a complimentary few pieces of a crunchy, spicy tuna tempura roll with spicy mayo on it, which was awesome.

all in all, we were super impressed and fell in love with it, basically. the service was so-so... but we're really low maintenance, so as long as we have our food and our drinks we're set. our bill ended up being the exact same (maybe a little less, even) as when we go to MVista for sushi, so that solves that debacle. if you are a sushi lover, go to Camon, bottom line. and get the dragon roll!

When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul. Ps 94

1. Now is when it counts. We will continue to confess God as our Provider and place our situation in His capable hands, because He is faithful and good, even/especially in times of need. Yesterday, literally hours before a lot of things fell through, Colin and I were riding in the car together, and I told him I believed that, although we have been abundantly blessed in the past few months, we would still trust our God, even if and when we weren't in a time of financial stability. That He has strengthened us and been faithful to us and shown Himself trustworthy so well that we should never doubt. So we continue to place our lives in His capable hands. We relish the opportunity to learn more and more what true reliance is. Thank you, Jesus.

2. I went with the nude shoes, by the way. thank you, all!

3. We had the privilege of spending our first anniversary at our friends Patrick and Dayna's wedding. Seriously, what an awesome way to spend your anniversary... celebrating the joy of marriage! It was such a fun wedding, too. We are overjoyed for them both. Tonight, though, we are going to go out and have an anniversary date, compliments of Mama Fien, and enjoy Colin's new-found freedom from waking up at 5 am. We get to stay out late! This morning we actually got to wake up together, too! So, as per usual, we are hitting up MVista for our favorite sushi and drinks. Thanks, Mom!

4. By the way, what is everyone's take on sushi in Columbia? I know that everyone has their favorite. Colin and I have been to most places, but haven't found anything better than Miyo's. We've heard that Camon is supposed to be the best sushi in town, but we're scared to stray and be disappointed because of how expensive it is there. Anyone have any opinions?

5. Yesterday Colin got off work early so we ran errands together in the afternoon. He went thrifting with me, we took care of some stuff that needed to be done, and then we made the mistake of going to World Market. uuuuuggghhhhhh. we wanted coasters. that's it, plain and simple. we walked out with a hanging lantern, ceramic furniture knobs for the dresser i'm going to refinish, and coasters. that place is torture. pure torture. On the topic of thrifting, though, I love sifting through the boxes of books at His House. I always leave with at least a few books and they give them to you for about .25 cents. yesterday I picked up some Shakespeare and The Runaway Bunny. anyone read that as a child? I loved it.


Grace and peace,
the wife.