Having Seen Australia

No, not the continent.

Kenyon and I were given tickets last night to see a free movie at the new theatre in town (a VIP ticket, by the way. Because we're very important, as you well know) There hadn't been a lot of buzz about Australia, but we took a chance on it since it was free. We were nervous, as we were the youngest people in the theatre by at least 20 years, but we went for it. We like Hugh Jackman. How bad could it be?

It was a beautiful film. Not a boring romance, not a war movie, not a western, not a drama, but something amazingly in between. It was serious with a tinge of humor through the whole first half, reminiscent of Moulin Rouge in several instances (whether that was directing or Nicole Kidman, I'm not sure), but an incredible and powerful story the whole way through.

So, we suggest it to anyone who's up for a good movie. It's nearly 3 hours long, but we were riveted the whole time. The acting was pretty darn good, the story was lovely and it's a crowd pleaser all around.

Plus, it was one of those movies that made us want to stand up for something and fight for it with all of our hearts. (I love stories like that!) It's a story where- rather unintentionally, I'm sure- the adventurous, loving, courageous, redemptive heart of God shines through, even though it's not really about Him at all. At least intentionally. :o)

Dishwashers. Best idea ever.

True story: Dishwashers are the greatest invention ever known to man. Anyone who has talked to me (Michelle) recently has probably heard all about it. We (and by 'we' I do mean we) have actually kept our kitchen clean for the last week. A whole week! And by clean I mean clean. No stacked dishes, no cereal boxes, swept, tidied, the whole shebang. I know... this is standard for most people. But, truly a victory for us! And we shall share it with you for the sake of celebrating.

My brain seeks order in everything, and to maintain an orderly kitchen helps me want to cook, want to tidy, want to bake and want to grocery shop. It's the truth. Don't know why, but it makes all of life easier. So, we've been cooking & baking up a storm. And it's wonderful.

And thanks to a dear friend who has been sharing quite wonderful recipes with the world. Her blog is perfect for young adults and full of recipes that are both easy & tasty. Check it out here.

American Idol

So, this season, we're way too emotionally attached to American Idol.

I, Michelle, cried twice during last night's show. Not like I bawled or anything, just a tear or two. BUT STILL.

Kenyon, despite his oh-so-manly demeanor looked super sad about some things. I figure he might as well as cried, considering his usually emotionless appraisal of American Idol.

Anyway, we're in mourning today because Jamar went home. So sad.

Lovin' It.

So, we're loving Mint.com recently. Quality program. Mint.com works with your bank account (quite securely), registers your transactions like any online banking, but then allows you to assign it to budget categories, which you have set with preset limits at the beginning of the month! We love it! We'd always worked through out budget on a spreadsheet which took forever. But this- is not only easy- but free. Yay.

AND- it supports a wicked cool iPhone application. So- on the go- we can check how much we have in a specific budget all the time. It's my favorite. See screen shot below.




Thought we'd pass it along. It made our life so much easier, and we hope that it might do the same for you!

New Year's Resolution. Promise.

So, consider this my (Michelle's) heartfelt apology. I officially am bad at blogging.

Consider this also my New Year's Resolution (is it too late for that?) to blog more frequently, whether there's anything truly exciting happening in our life or not. I shall share the joys, sorrows, excitements & victories of our everyday lives. I solemnly swear.

Now, after that rather official-sounding promise:

Happy January. My (Michelle's) favorite part of January thus far is our brand new addiction to the board game Settlers of Catan. (Read here about the game). Perhaps the reason I like it so very much is because I win every time I play it. I'll just be honest about that. There are few board games that go that way for me... so it's a keeper. :o) I shall have to track down a board and make Kenyon play it often. But it's truly a wonderful combination of Risk & Monopoly, but unbelievably shorter & easier. Cool idea, eh?

Kenyon has been pluggin' along at work. He's being recognized for how hard he's working, which is extremely rewarding! We're both thankful that he has a job that not only provides compensation but excellent benefits. And today- that's a big deal. He's happily re-reading the Harry Potter series (which he got for Christmas) when he's not working or out with me.

PS: For those of you concerned about Kilo, I just wanted to pass along that he's doing marvelously. He's getting bigger, but no less kitten-y, and is cooler than ever. Feel free to be jealous.

A Quality August

August flew by mercilessly, as usual. Even without school hustle and bustle, (an odd feeling, might I add) we totally lost track of ourselves for a month.

Kenyon spent the month working away, and is now oh-so-sad the Olympics are over. He watched every event for two weeks straight (you think I'm exaggerating...). With mass amounts of time to spare after its conclusion, he started reading the Harry Potter series. He's thrilled with it.

He loves his Olympics... and Hogwarts, it seems.

I've fully taken over office operations at my job. Work is long, but organized, routine and fulfilling. I've recently read too many books (the Twilight Saga and Sherlock Holmes, for those who are interested) for way too long while having lost my husband to the Olympics... but have enjoyed the respite and the imaginative endeavor. Without school, my poor brain gets so lonely.

Having finished good books and international athletic events, we celebrated another classic American pastime... grilling! With his graduation money, Kenyon bought us a grill! Here's the master at work:



So with grilling and late summer evenings in the hammock to round out our summer, Kenyon and I let August slip right on by without too much productivity.

But we decided that rest was oh-so-productive. And that's what this August has been. Restful.

Quality, wouldn't you say?

Good Week

This past Saturday night, Kenyon and I headed down to Clinton IL for Carson and Angie Cheatham's wedding. We had such a great time. For those of you who don't know Carson and Angie, they are a couple from the church in Manchester who we got to know while we were on my internship. Fortunately, Carson is actually from Clinton, so their wedding was in the midwest. Friends from NH came to the wedding, so not only did we get to enjoy their company, but we got to host friends from the church too. We had missed everyone so much, so it was GREAT to see them again!

Kilo (somehow he snuck into the wedding pictures...) is settling into life as a Knight. We're likin' him more and more each day, and he's getting used to us. It's fun.

We went to Waukegan / Kenosha last weekend for some time with friends up there and a benefit. Super fun weekend. We really enjoyed it!

Kenyon and I are both are enjoying diggin' into good books this summer. Kenyon has discovered military fiction and the Bourne books, while I have identified a keen interest in the Maccabean revolution as well as classic fiction. After having forgotten about public libraries for a couple of years, we have been reintroduced to the pubic library and are using it for all it's worth. Lovin' it. I caught myself saying to Kenyon the other night, "put down that book and come watch TV with me!" WHOA. What a role reversal. Scary.