a long overdue update.

Well, it has been a long time since I sat down to write and let you all know what has been going on here at the puddle. Zack and I have found that we have been very busy the last couple weeks....I know that that is really no excuse for my silence and I am sure that you have been wondering what happened to Zack and I....believe me, even some of our closest friends and family members have been wondering if we fell completely off the face of the earth.

Zack has begun playing on an Ultimate Frisbee Club Team. This means that he has practice 4 days a week (2 afternoon practices and 2 morning practice) and tournaments or scrimmages on the weekends. Zack was able to play in his first Ultimate tournament about a month ago...and sadly, I had to work and could not go to watch him (I did however manage to watch 4 seasons of The Office while keeping my mind off of the fact that I was home alone). I was told that he played brilliantly and his team ended up winning the tournament. I think that ultimate Frisbee has been a good experience for him and so, I try to encourage him in it. It gives him something to look forward to throughout the week, and it gives him a group of guys to hang out with and be a part of a team with....something that he has greatly missed since his college cross country days.

I have been busy as well....working, or at least that is what I feel like I do with the majority of my time. It has been a big adjustment for me and not always a pleasant one. I do enjoy working with children and admire and respect the other providers that I work with in the office. What I struggle with is the feeling that my job interferes with or takes time away from family. I feel like I have been grossly neglecting my duties at home. Zack has not had many home cooked meals since I returned to work...and our house is in a disgraceful state of dishevel. I spend my off day running errands and washing clothes...which can be frustrating when I have so many projects at home that need to be accomplished. I am trying to find an order within the madness, but I have found it difficult to get into any true schedule as my schedule tends to change as some days I am on call and some weekends I am required to work. I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers as I struggle with finding some semblance of order in the chaos that I now call life.

Despite working, I have tried to maintain my goal of trying 1 new recipe a week...it has been MUCH harder to motivate myself to cook after a hard, long day at work, but I have managed to cook at least once a week...I know, it is disgraceful...1 home cooked meal if we are lucky a week...my husband is going to waste away completely.

Southwestern Black Bean Soup

The second weekend in November, Zack and I went on a Fall Retreat with our small group from church. Last year, we had taken a trip to the mountains as a small group, and we had such a good time that we decided to do it again. However, with everyone having crazy schedules and having to juggle kids this year we had a much smaller turn out. We definitely would have LOVED the whole group to have been involved, but we still had a great time and have some new shared experiences with our friends. We ate well and played lots of games over the weekend...and just enjoyed spending time together.




The third weekend in November, Zack and I got a chance to stay home and do nothing. We slept in late...well, as late as we could with people shouting and hammering on our neighbors roof. Our church was doing a 40 hour fast, so that made for an interesting weekend of day dreaming about food. That Saturday night, we went over to Jaclyn and Kevin's house to play Settler's of Catan and their new seafarers expansion. We really enjoyed the new expansion and are looking forward to trying to play that expansion and the knights and cities expansion together....my mind just might explode from trying to remember all of the rules of the game.

Monday the 23rd, we had our small group Thanksgiving Party. Zack and Gretchen's parents hosted the party at their house, which was SO sweet of them. We had an AMAZING meal! There are some awesome cooks in our small group and there was a great display of culinary master pieces laid out on the counter. I made an apple cheesecake and homemade mac n cheese. I also decided to make mini loaves of pumpkin bread for each of the couples with thank you notes attached. Zack and I have been so blessed by our small group, and it seemed like a fitting time to let them all know how much they mean to us and how much we value their friendships. I also made a half apron for Gretchen's mother as a hostess gift for their generosity of opening their home to our rowdy group. I was literally finishing the apron and packaging the mini bread loaves as we walked out the door.