DJ is married!!!

Last weekend we went to Houston for DJ and Courtney's wedding. It was so great to see everyone! We had a blast. To see more pictures, go here!http://picasaweb.google.com/laurenebutler/DJSWedding

 
 
 
 

Sweet Nick

My dog is so funny. It is absolutely unbelievable how attached he is to me. I still can hardly believe I actually have a dog, but I'm pretty sure I have the best one (at least for me). I wish I had more time to play outside with him during the day, because he loves to be outside and he could stay out all day and sniff every blade of grass and every leaf on the block. Sadly, he spends most of his time stuck inside all day. Thank goodness he loves to sleep, because he definitely gets a lot of it!

GUATEMALA!

These are just a few of our photos! To view my web album, click below!

Guatemala

Panama!

Here are some links to our Panama pics!

Erica's pics.
Jude's pics.
Jackie's pics.

Reagan's pics.

My pics.

Tree Farm

Here are some photos from our venture to the Christmas tree farm! 
 
 
  

Meet Nick!

Nick is the newest addition to Apt. 1207. He's such a sweet little guy and very low key. He loves to go outside, ride in the car, and SLEEP. Today is his 13th birthday! Come visit anytime. He'd love to meet you!

PIE!

I got my first pie in the face tonight, compliments of Jenna. It was quite disgusting, and I smelled like chocolate all night long. Mmmm, my favorite!!

Tailgate!

Last weekend we headed to Waco again for the Baylor/aTm football game. We had a big tailgate with all our favorite people and had some really yummy food. Although the Bears didn't come away with the win, we all had an awesome time!

Ramona Mae

I just want to show you how adorable my cousins' baby is! We had a blast at her 1st birthday party last month =)

Pumpkins

The question crossed my mind yesterday... why on earth did God make pumpkins? So, I decided to look it up and see what I could learn. Here's some trivia for ya.



A pumpkin is a squash fruit, most commonly orange in colour when ripe. The larger kinds acquire a weight of 40 to 80 lbs. Botanically it is a fruit, referring to a certain plant part which grows from a flower. However it is widely regarded as a vegetable in culinary terms, referring to how it is eaten. Pumpkins are grown today in the US more for decoration than for food.

Pumpkin chunking is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible. Catapults, trebuchets, ballistas and air cannons are the most common mechanisms. Some pumpkin chunkers grow special varieties of pumpkin, which are bred and grown under special conditions intended to improve the pumpkin's chances of surviving being thrown.

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked and roasted, or made into various kinds of pie, alone or mixed with other fruit; while small and green it may be eaten in the same way as the vegetable marrow.

The pumpkin is related to the zucchini. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,469 lb (666 kg). Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein and carotene. These nutrients turn to vitamin A in the body.

Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on 31 October marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year, and on that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called "Stingy Jack," hence the name "Jack-o'-lantern".

The city of Keene, New Hampshire currently holds the world record for the most lit pumpkins in one location: 28,952. Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state in the United States; Michigan is a distant second. Pumpkins were among the first foods from the "New World" adopted in Europe, probably due to a European cousin: Lagenaria.

"Pumpkin" is sometimes used as an affectionate term, often referring to one's significant other. For example: "I love you, Pumpkin." The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.

Unfortunately for us, October is actually National Pasta Month.

I love the water!

Just as we thought the lake days were over, we got another chance! Last weekend we took the boat down to Waco and skied the Brazos before the Baylor/Army game. NO, I had no idea you could actually do that and it was so much fun!! Then we had a big tailgate in the rain with the whole fam! (I wonder if Jenny knew we were having a family reunion in Waco, because I sure didn't.) Thank goodness for Granddad's motor home... we just hung out and played cards while we waited for the rain to pass over. So glad we weren't all crammed in the suburban, or the pick up for that matter!

Dog Days of Summer

Lindsay and Kurt were nice enough to let Syre come play with me while they went on a trip last week. We had such a good time and now I have a new best friend. Here are some photos from our adventures together!

Prayer Request

My cousin, Michael, was diagnosed with leukemia 3 weeks ago, shortly after his high school graduation. Please pray for him as he is undergoing a continuous cycle of treatment for the next six months or so. He had planned to attend Wake Forest University in the fall, but for now those plans are on hold. He is also in need of blood and platelets. The best way for him to get it is for people to donate in his name at the MD Anderson Blood Bank in Houston. He gets credit for any blood type; unfortunately there is a shortage of o+ right now, so if you have any connections in the Houston area let me know! His mom has started a blog on his progress, but I just wanted to let you know about the diagnosis and treatment and ask for your prayers for Michael and his family. Thanks! Stephen, Jenny, Ben, me, Michael, Juliet

Pondering

The human body is absolutely amazing. So often I find myself thinking just about hearing and how incredible it is… there is just no fathomable way that it should work as well as it does. Really if you think about any part of the body, it is just beyond belief that it works the way that it does. There is no conceivable way that all the parts should be able to function effortlessly (for most of us) and in perfect harmony. It is a miracle that any of us are even living, breathing, moving, hearing, seeing, thinking...WOW! And while medical advances have come so far that we are able to replace parts of the body with prostheses and such, we can never do as good a job as the Creator does. What we can give never works as well as the way He designed it and almost never lasts a lifetime. He is just so incredible, and the work of His hands is beautiful. He does all things well.

Life

One day during my devotional time, this thought came to my mind: “Don’t let life happen to you. Let life happen through you.”

The first phrase described me to a T, for I tended to see life as something coming at me. I felt like a worn-out dartboard. I was using all my energies to shield myself from the darts of life’s trials.

But the second phrase, “Let life happen through you,” presented a different approach. Instead of dodging life’s fiery darts, I was to let God’s life and love be channeled through me, blessing me on its way to blessing others.

I chose that day to become God’s pipeline instead of life’s dartboard. Then I could begin living more effectively for Him.

Some days I revert to being a dartboard, but I soon run out of the love and power to bless others. Then through confession, faith, and obedience, I reconnect myself to my heavenly supply center and resume pipeline living.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul mentioned the many troubles he was facing. Yet he was determined to be a channel of blessing by allowing God to work through him.

What about you? Are you a dartboard or a pipeline? It’s a challenge and a choice for every believer.
—Joanie Yoder

I love lightning!

I'm sitting on my bed working on a research project and watching the lightning out my window. It's super cool because it lights up the whole sky and it reflects off of the buildings across the street, too. I love thunderstorms... we just don't get enough of them here in Dallas. I wish it would even rain here every once in a while because I enjoy rainy days, except that Dallas drivers tend to go 20 below in such circumstances. I think I actually like doing research, even though it seems to be a 4-letter word and we're practically programmed to hate it (NOT saying that I particularly agree with this teacher's intentions... but I do kind of like learning about meningitis and hearing loss). I'm just hoping the electricity doesn't go out because I can't see myself doing this by candle light. Too many papers all over the place! I think tomorrow is going to be a day of productivity - at least I'm hoping so. I would like to see dad and the fam but having finals right around the corner on top of these projects is not favorable for sitting around enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the backyard. I have been lucky enough to see my dad two days in a row this week, which is extra special because he travels a lot. I missed talking to my fiance (Shawn-face) today because of silly project and trying to book a flight to Chicago in August. It's hard to talk to camp friends since they have about a 2 hr window each week. I wish I could be out there, driving boats and tractors and watching thunderstorms from the front porch of the infirmary. I think I'm handling being away rather well... but I am looking forward to a visit as soon as I get through finals and stuff. Wow I thought I hated this blog thing, but it's amazing how appealing it is when I'm supposed to be working. I guess I've given my brain a sufficient breather now and I better get back up on it. I hope the lightning continues. It's kind of mesmerizing.

Callier smells.

Callier (the place I go to school) has some of the grossest smells. I do not understand. Gross! Lori and I are still in the midst of moving in. All of our stuff is piled up all over our new apt. I think it will be fun once we get settled in. It's just hard to get things done and try to pass classes at the same time. Next week we have finals already. Summer school goes fast. Then we start a new class. I'm hoping it will allow me to be more lazy than my current classes... we'll see. If not, maybe I'll quit school and go work at camp. Now that sounds like fun!

Sudden Urges

You know sometimes I get the sudden urge to run around naked.
But then I just drink some Windex. . .


It keeps me from streaking.

(I did NOT say that)

ZIPLOC OMELETS

This works great !!! Good when you're alone or when all your family is together. Best feature is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!! Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

- Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the quart size Ziploc bag (not more than 2) shake
to combine them.

- Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green
pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

- Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake.

- Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

- Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You
can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot
of boiling water.

- Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for
everyone to be amazed.

- Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved
in the process and a great conversation piece.


Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in
boiling water while you get ready. And in 13 minutes, you have a nice
omlette for a quick breakfast!!!

Top 10

Top ten things I've learned (or relearned) in school this week:

1. Grad school is hard.
2. Lab coats are very fashionable AND keep you warm inside cold buildings.
3. Old people love referring to the brain as a hard drive that needs to be defragged.
4. I cannot sit still for 2 hours, let alone 4.
5. I am fascinated by genetics.
6. Night classes in the summertime are most intrusive and quite unsettling.
7. I'm ready to be a grown up and have a real job. (I'm sure this is only true until it actually happens.)
8. The way the human body works is absolutely astonishing. (I think I learn this every day.)
9. I love pharmacology.
10. I hate Callier Richardson.