God is good.

I can’t believe another year has gone by. Seriously. What is happening?  This year has been full of ups and downs, but there is one thing I am fully confident saying…God is good. The more intimately I seek our Father, the more I learn that not only is He good, but His plan for my life is truly marvelous.

It’s been three years without Emma. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that she was here.  Sometimes it feels like ten years have gone by without her. I still don’t understand why she died, but I don’t have to. What I do understand is that God knows that sometimes my heart is filled with sadness and sorrow with her loss. It’s in those times that He amazes me and fills my heart with joy. That joy has come in many different forms, but I’ll share the one that stands out.

Before I chose my wedding gown, it was important to me that my daddy have input. I narrowed it down to two gowns and let him have the final say. He, of course, couldn’t decide. So, we spent lots of time at Patsy’s that day. During the time that we were going back and forth between gowns, there was a trunk show going on for a jewelry and veil designer. We spoke with her, and she offered to custom make my veil and a brooch for me to wear with my gown. After giving us the total estimated bill to do all of these things, I told my parents, let’s just think about it, never expecting them to OK the order. We left the salon and went to lunch. During lunch, I was talking about other options for veils and jewelry and my dad interrupted me and said, “I want to do this for you. I want you have these things for your wedding day and pass down in our family.” I once again, like so many times in my life, was blown away by the generosity of my parents. Fast forward a few months… I got the call from Patsy’s that my veil and brooch had arrived. I think I broke every law to get there as fast as I could. These pieces were so special to me, and I wanted to see them. I looked at the veil first. It was perfect. Gorgeous, elegant and simple, just how I wanted it. As I opened the box to the brooch, the sales assistant was telling me that the jewelry designer names all of her pieces with women’s names. Low and behold, the name of the piece that was made for me was named Emma. (This was about 6 months after Emma died.) We HAD NO IDEA that she would name my piece Emma.  I immediately broke down into tears. I think the sales lady thought I was disappointed. I had to try to explain to her that Emma was my dog’s name, which I think made me look even crazier. God knew then and now that this simple thing would bring me so much joy. I wore my brooch on my wedding day and wear on special occasions feeling like she is with me.

 

My cup runneth over with the grace and love and humor and amazement that flows from our God. Even in the small things of our crazy lives, He is ever-present and I am forever grateful.

We miss you Emma Lou!

Thrills and Grills

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but if you know Lane, then you know that he’s probably the biggest Ranger’s fan there is. Seriously. I can ask him any question about anything Rangers or baseball related and he immediately has an answer. I honestly don’t know where he gets all of this information because it’s not like he researches the Rangers all day. I’m pretty sure he works. And, for the record, he’s not just a fair weather fan… He’s loved the Rangers since he was a little boy and continued to love them through the long dry spell.

Friday, April 1st was Ranger’s opening day this year. We were able to go several years ago and had no problem getting tickets. Well, apparently after you go to the World Series, your opening day tickets seem to be a little more in demand.  Go figure. Even after putting both of our names in the lottery for tickets, we still weren’t awarded any. We also weren’t going to be able to purchase tickets from ebay or stubhub because we’re trying to really cut back on our spending, so while he never said anything, I know Lane was kind of sad. I wanted SO badly to get tickets for him. I knew it would mean the world to him and I tried several outlets, but they were just all too expensive.

Then on the Tuesday before the game, angels, in the form our dear friends Jill and Jonathan appeared. Jill bought tickets for Jonathan for his birthday, but unfortunately, at the last minute J was asked to attend the game with clients and they weren’t able to use the seats that they bought, so they just GAVE them to us. Jill is quite possibly one of the most giving and thoughtful people I know. I am blown away by her selflessness and generosity. I know that if I ever asked her to do anything, she would be there in a heartbeat to do it. She is always surprising her friends with little gifts. This gift of tickets was certainly a surprise , but definitely not small at all.

I was in tears. Lane was in tears beyond excited. We are forever grateful to Jill and Jonathan for this opportunity. It meant the world to us and hopefully someday we’ll be able to pay them back!

So, of course we were going to take advantage of the day. We made a packing list and grocery run the night before and at 10 a.m. on Friday we were loaded and ready to go. We had such a great time. We were able to tailgate before the game and then go in for all of the opening ceremonies. It was a blast!

In the parking lot, tailgating before the game.

mmmm….sausage, wrapped in a tortilla with some grilled onions, BBQ sauce and mustard. Breakfast of champions!

The view from our seats. Amazing.

So, at this point, I definitely got a little mist in my eyes. Marching onto the field holding a giant American Flag were all kinds service men and women. I sat there and thought to myself, “Here I am, taking the day off of work, sitting the stands ready to watch a baseball game with a beer in my hands and these people are fighting for my freedom to do that.”  It just blew me away. I am able to sit in these stands because of them.

Oh, and I have a secret crush on the Texas Rangers. The other ones. You know, the cowboy hats, jeans, boots and guns? The Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Officers.

And, no Rangers Home Opener would be complete without George W. and Laura. I have read both of their books and am in love with them. I really wanted to give them both hugs, but I’m sure I would have gotten arrested for that.

During the National Anthem a MASSIVE bomber flew over. It was so stinking close. And loud. And awesome.

And, to top off a great day, the Rangers WON! Yay! We are so excited about this season. Thanks again to Jill and Jonathan, without whom this wonderful day wouldn’t have happened. We are forever grateful for your friendship!

          

Oh, and for the grills part of this post. (Sometimes I forget that this is a food blog.)

While we didn’t cook these at the ballpark, we totally could have. They were DELICIOUS! You can do any combo of meat/cheese that you want, but this is just what we had on hand.

Grilled Pesto Sandwiches

4 slices thick, crusty bread brushed in olive oil

4 slices muenster cheese

6 slices salami

4 slices turkey (we used Boar’s Head Honey Maple Coat turkey)

2 T. of Pesto, divided

4 sundried tomatoes, sliced

2 t. Mayo, divided

Heat grill to medium high heat. Place one slice of cheese on each piece of bread. This will act as the glue to hold it all together as it melts.  Then, layer the salami and turkey on each sandwich. Add 1 T. of pesto, the sundried tomatoes and 1 t. of mayo to each. Close the sandwiches and grill over indirect flame for about 4 minutes a side, or until cheese is melty and gooey and good. Slice in half and enjoy the best darn sandwich ever!