Looks like chicken salad, smells like chicken salad...so, I guess

So I recently totaled the amount of money I've spend the past month eating out. I quickly realized that it was time to go to the grocery store. I began by dreaming up all the dishes that sounded yummy. On Thursday, it was quesadillas. After a trip to the grocery store, I made quesadillas for the very first time. They were absolutely delicious. I made 3 variations on the quesadilla just to mix things up a bit. They were: 1) spinach, mushroom, avocado, black bean, mozzarella, swiss, chicken; 2) grilled tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, Ragu, chicken; 3) Stubs BBQ sauce, chicken, cheddar cheese; They were all very yummy. Plus, I have tons of left overs. I wasn't too nervous about making the quesadillas because, first I'm from Texas (this explains a lot) AND it seems very straight forward. 'Put it all between a tortilla and heat it up!' However, today my task was a bit more ... unfamiliar: chicken salad.

I began by dreaming up foods that sound yummy and look pretty together: celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, and purple grapes. Then, I chopped everything up and put it in a bowl. Hmm, now that I have a bunch of pretty chopped items and chicken in a bowl, how do I make it salad? I HAVE NO IDEA. Well, I really don't like mayo, so I tried mixing a small portion of Dijon mustard. I tasted it. ***YAO!!!!*** Boy was it spicy. Okay, throwing that batch away. Hmmm, what about Mayo? No...nope. I refused to make my chicken salad a sad version of tuna salad. I was determined to mix together a tasty blend of... something. Then, it hit me! I remembered my grandma mentioning that she makes a crab dip with cream cheese and sour cream. Those both sound tasty so let's try that.

In a small bowl I combined a spoonful of sour cream and a healthy portion of cream cheese. I mixed it together and tasted it. Ewww too sour. So, I added the entire container of cream cheese. Tasted again. Uh, reminds me of a bagel. Added a touch more of sour cream, some garlic power, salt and pepper. NOWWW it was 'muy bueno!' I mixed it all together and VIOLA! My first homemade...from scratch...no recipe...just good instincts CHICKEN SALAD. : )

Next time, some dill pickle and avocado!

Officially mailed...

Today's trip to the post office was interesting to say the least. First let me explain that I am extremely under the weather. My 101 fever and sore throat made this post office trip one that I'll never forget.

I visited the post office about a week ago to weigh my invitation to see how much postage would be. The kind gentleman responded "Oh! You're getting married...Why?" I smiled and was unsure if that was rhetorical or if that was standard response in DC. He said "Well, good luck with that. It will be $0.98." I smiled and explained that I was hoping they would come in under a dollar. I purchased my $1 stamps and left, prepared to put the finishing touches on my invites. After a week of wrapping and unwrapping invitations (silly mistakes - that's another story), I eventually finished a set of 37, complete with the ever so unattractive 'Rockefeller' $1 stamp. I smiled at the progress I made and looked forward to taking them to the post office first thing Wednesday morning.

Wednesday night came with a high fever, body aches, and a terribly sore throat. Needless to say, I wasn't going to the post office that day. Thursday rolled around and I was not much better. Thursday night seemed promising...or so I thought around midnight. Friday morning I awoke and decided that regardless of my health I was dropping those invitations off TODAY! I mustered up enough strength to put on decent clothes and carry this heavy box of invites to the car. Once I arrived at the post office, I was deep into a jogger's sweat. Drenched, I waited in the infamous post office lines to drop off my envelopes with the postal worker.

As I approached the desk he said, "if they are all stamped just leave them there and I'll get to them." A voice in my head said: 'Id have to be crazy to leave these here without knowing for sure that they have been processed and received.' I smiled and said that I didn't mind wait. THAT WAS A LIE. The post office was packed with people. At some point the room seemed to be spinning. Eventually, the nice postal worker was ready to stamp and receive my mail. He decided to verify the postage weight! BIG MISTAKE. Apparently our marriage-cynic wasn't much of a mathmatician either. He quoted me $0.98 when in fact each was $1.56. Great! More $$. He said these things are too big to run through the meter, so I am going to have to do each one by hand. He seemed more disgruntled at that fact than I. (Which I later realized is because I didn't know what 'doing them by hand' actually entailed.) About 55 minutes later, he finished processing each individual piece of mail. At this point, I was sure I was going to pass out. My throat ached, I was dizzy, hungry, sleepy from not eating, and just all around tired of being at the post office. I paid my $22 for additional postage and left the post office. Boy oh boy am I happy to say...that is over.

Let's just say when I take the final 25 to be mailed, I'll be sure to be well rested and bring a short novel to read.

Oh the joys of wedding planning!

With 2 months to go we are down to the final details. The wedding invitations are practically done. I'll be sticking them in the mail on Friday. We have booked our honeymoon which should be really exciting. Check out where we are going: Our HONEYMOON We have also ordered our cake from a wonderful lady name Sheri in Pflugerville, Texas. Check out her work: SevenCakes. She is really great. I'll be sure to post pictures of our cakes when we get them. Oh! How could I forget, the venue: PlantationHouse

I think those are all the updates I have. My wedding planning assistant, JK, has been an amazing partner in this process. I couldn't imagine doing this without her. She is still in Austin taking care of local errands that I need to get done. Her most recent quest has been to find a violinist to play at my wedding ceremony. We still do not have a photographer, but my dad is working on that.

Our tentative plan is to take a road trip down to Austin (from DC) the week before the wedding, get into Austin and work out the final details prior to the wedding. After which, we are off to the Virgin Islands. Then, back to Austin...packing up furniture to put in storage and back in the car up to DC. Whew! It's going to be a long August/September.

It's been awhile...where do I start??

Oh the updates! Here's a quick synopsis and then I promise to blog more regularly.

-Michael did not make it through his January training. He came home, trained for another 5 months and left again in May.
-I was offered a job in the DC Metro area as the Director of a pre-school. So, I've moved up to the DC area and started my new job. It was hard leaving KIPP, but I was ready to make the leap into school administration.
-I was accepted into George Washington University's Educational Leadership Master's program. I started classes on May 27.
-Michael is doing well in training. We write letters regularly! I got to see him for the first time this past weekend. We spent a few hours together. It was amazingly great!!

Whew!

The Verdict

Here ye! Here ye!

The verdict is in. My darling partner in life has been accepted as a pilot candidate into the United States Marine Officer Candidate School. My initial thought was, "and I thought I wanted the waiting to know to end." Boy was I wrong. Knowing he's going is ten times as nerving as waiting to know if he can go! Despite the nerves, fear and anxiety, I have an underlying sense of satisfaction and happiness. It's definitely scary and life changing. However, for the first time in Michael's entire life he has the opportunity to live his dream. He has dreamt of flying planes since he was 5 years old. Now that dream is a burgeoning reality. Michael will be able to wake up everday and say "I love my job!" Now, how many Americans can actually say that?! (I think it's like 4%). In the fall of 2007, I spent several weeks pondering whether or not I would be strong enough (and willing) to support Michael through this endeavor. I decided to stand by him. Today, though fearful of the unknown, I stand strong and firm. I'm going to do my best to support Michael through his journey.

So what's next you ask?! Michael will depart Austin on January 9, 2009 to report to OCC training in Quantico, VA. This 10.5 week program is 7-days a week of WORK WORK WORK. So, no phone calls, emails, visit...nada! Assuming all goes well, on March 20, 2009 Michael will graduate from OCC and receive his official commission as a United States Marine Officer. From there, he may or may not have a leave (time off) depending on the start date of his next training period. If there's a backlog of officers waiting, he could come home for a couple of months. If there isn't a waiting period, he may not get a break at all. Whenever he goes back in, he'll be training for 6 intense months. Fortunately for me, I will likely be on summer break during this time and able to visit Michael in Virginia. Once Michael completes this laborious boot camp, he is on to Flight School for roughly 2-years.

Whew! A lot going on, right?! Well I'm up for the challenge and he's very excited. He's working out harder than ever. He is determined to get his 3-mile run time at or under 20 minutes. These are all the military updates I have for now. Lots of life changing things going on with us so please stay tuned!

Where Do the Thank You's End?

The engagement party was a HUGE success (largely in part to my 2 assistants). The setup was beautiful and the food was delicious. Over 40 guests joined Michael and I to celebrate our engagement.

My family really worked hard to put together an amazing event. My dear cousin, did my make-up and put together all my floral arrangements FROM SCRATCH. Did I mention she's 8 months pregnant?! My grandfather made the official announcement of our engagement with the assistance of my dad and Michael. My dad put together a playlist for the evening and setup his speaker system to ensure our guests were entertained. My dear friend Gail made stuffed mushrooms for the buffet table. All the other goodies were created by my lovely assistant Jessica Knox. (Weird she has my name, I know). My other assitant Oanh decorated the foyer and dining areas in shades of pink and brown. My grandmother and cousin Nita jumped in to help Oanh and Jessica K manage the party as the guests began to flood the foyer. Oh and the guests...the guests...Michael and I were so very delighted to see so many of our friends from California. It was truly a memorable event. Words cannot express how thankful Michael and I are to all of our family and friends. This was an evening we will remember for years to come.

Enjoy the photos from the party.

That Moment When You Realize...

Yesterday Michael and I took pictures together to send out to family and friends that may have not seen us in awhile. As I was scrolling through the proofs, I realized that Michael and I actually look older now. You might be saying, Duh! But, what I'm talking about is a distinct moment in my life in which time stopped and it dawned on me that I'm a real adult. Wow...

I look back at pictures of us college (and even graduate school) and I see such different people in those pictures. This feeling of new found adulthood and maturity fortified when I greeted many of my relatives today for the first time in a long time. I didn't feel like the little grandbaby that I once was. I see my younger cousins and sister as the little grandkids and myself as their role model. It's a good feeling. Although, I must admit... Id like the aging to slow down a bit. Michael will be 24 Tuesday, December 2, 2008. Geez, where does the time go?!

Oh! PS: The engagement party is in a few days...I'm super excited. I'll be sure to report back.

The Seconds Seem Like Days

With every moment, Michael and I are awaiting notice form Staff Sergeant Deppen regarding Michael's' official acceptance into the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. It has been a long 4-month process to put together a competitive OCS application package.

Michael's relentless commitment to this program is blatant. Not only has his physique change dramatically (which is gggrreeaatt) because of the daily 5 a.m. work-outs. He also possesses a passion I've never seen as strong in him before. When I look into his eyes as he speaks of the mental and physical demands of serving as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, there's a spark of excitement and honor. He yearns for a spot in OCS, a chance to pursue his childhood dream and devote his life to serving this country. We are awaiting response to his application package.

The seconds seem like days...

~Stay tuned.

Christmas Is Coming...

Yes, I know. It's only November. But, last Christmas we were not able to make a big fuss. In fact, we didn't even have a tree. We were however, lucky enough to spend Christmas with our dear friend Pam Gray and her family. This year...we are starting strong.

We are starting EARLY!!

So as you might have guessed from the photo, we have put up our Christmas tree. We went with very non-traditional colors. Our colors are snow blue, crystal white, chocolate, gold and bronze. Weird? I know. We both love it.

Invitations Have Gone Out

The invitations and announcements for my November 29th engagement party in Houston have gone out. Thanks to my wonderful two assistants, Oanh & Jessica, the process was painless. The invitations are absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to see all my friends and family together having a great time. I will surely report back about this fabulous affair. If the invitation is any prelude to the event, I expect it to be very very snazzy. Ha Ha Ha.

To see more photos from the wedding planning process, check this link: WPA PHOTOS. Oanh updates it regularly.

(The folded pink paper [above] is the invitation. The flat papered items [below] are the announcements sent to those that will be unable to attend the engagement party.)

Did Someone Say HELP? ... It Was Me!

With the official engagement underway, the time has come to start planning. I initially wondered how I would be able to manage the many details involved in wedding planning while working the demanding 14-hour days at KIPP: Austin College Prep. Just like a light bulb switches on... a bright idea popped into my head. I realized that there are so many people in this country that have very successful event planning careers. To take it a step further, I realized that these careers must have started with some sort of internship experience.

Why not, I thought, create a working opportunity for a college student to gain invaluable experience in the details of wedding planning by assisting me?!?! Sounds great, right? This should be simple. So I posted an ad on Craigslist and sent a write-up of what I was looking for to the PR advisor at the University of Texas at Austin. The word was out.

Within less than 48 hours, I received over 35 resume's and cover letters by email. It was insane! I needed an assistant to help me find an assistant. Ha Ha Ha. I sifted through most of them and put together a hefty list of 10 interviews. A couple of girls did not show up, but for the most part all of the ladies (coincidence, I suppose) I interviewed were very professional, eager and motivated to take on the job of my wedding planning assistant.

I narrowed it down to my two favorite: Oanh & Jessica (ironic, I know). They were both very strong candidates in very different ways. I liked them both! The next step was choosing between the two. I've never been very good at this. This is why I have so many purses and shoes. Once I narrow it down to two, I have a lot of trouble sacrificing one for the other.

What's that saying?..."When in doubt, ask your friends." I hosted a small get together at my home in which some of my friends and family were able to meet and greet Oanh and Jessica. Afterwards, we discussed the two girls and found that making a decision was very difficult! I ended up deciding to hire both girls to be my assistants. After speaking with them about my decision, they seemed very relieved to have someone else to share the workload with. All in all, I look forward to working with these 2 ladies. They are very eager and talented. Task #1 is planning my Engagement Party in Houston. We'll see how it goes...

It's OFFICIAL. We're Engaged...

I woke up this morning to find a beautiful round brilliant cut soltaire engagement ring on my left hand. It is absolutely beautiful. I am so lucky to have such an adoring partner in life. I love him.

And the planning begins...

Living A Life I Love

According to recent polls, only 4% of Americans love their jobs. I'm happy to announce that I am definitely a part of that four percent. I work at a unique school as a 5th grade science teacher. My school is built on unique principles surrounding learning. I believe in these philosophies and they drive my unyielding desire to work hard for my students each day. The days are long. Really long! I typically work (both at home and school) for about 14-hours each day. Despite the long hours and demanding nature of the job, the greatest reward is seeing the growth our students make. This growth assures me that each day I work for a purpose larger than my own. I am changing lives with each paper I grade, lesson I plan, minute I spend with these hard working exemplary college prep students.

Here's a snippet from our foundation's website:

Who we are. KIPP is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. There are currently 66 KIPP schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia serving over 16,000 students.

What we do. KIPP builds a partnership among parents, students, and teachers that puts learning first. By providing outstanding educators, more time in school learning, and a strong culture of achievement, KIPP is helping all students climb the mountain to college.

Why it matters. Every day, KIPP students across the nation are proving that demography does not define destiny. Eighty percent of our students are low-income, and 90 percent are African American or Latino. Nationally, more than 90 percent of KIPP middle school students have gone on to college-preparatory high schools, and more than 80 percent of KIPP alumni have gone on to college.

[from http://www.kipp.org/]

Relocating back to Texas was a great decision. I couldn't be happier.

For Starters - Here's Our Story

Born in Houston to April Morris and Michael Eaglin on July 18, 1985. She was the first grandchild to O.C. and Amelia Eaglin. They provided for and loved baby Jessica from the very start. Jessica was fortunate to attend one of the best private elementary school’s Houston had to offer, Annunciation Orthodox School. After which, Jessica went on to experience the distinctly different public school sector. She attended Cullen Middle School and the High School for Law Enforcement. Jessica quickly realized how fortunate she was to be so well educated by AOS at a young age. This rich educational experience fostered a desire in Jessica to change the current state of public education in this country. To pursue her dreams, she marched forward and on full-scholarship Jessica obtained her Bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin. This exemplary institution for higher learning is where Michael and Jessica met. Upon graduating from UT Jessica desired to continue her education before diving into her aspired educational public policy career. On a full scholarship to the University of San Diego, Jessica left her home, family and friends to obtain her Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership.

Michael McGehee was born in Austin Texas to Charles and Pamelia McGehee on December 2, 1984. Michael was the first of two boys to his parents. The family settled in Austin to raise the young bright and inquisitive Michael. Michael had an affinity for planes at an early age fostered by his dads shared love of flying. As a child, Michael spent many weekends with his dad flying around the outskirts of Austin. Michael attended Elementary, Middle and High School in the Del Valle school district. He was very gifted academically and fostered a love of science and astronomy. Michael also developed a love of reading at a very early age. His other hobbies include working on cars, watching historical documentaries and persuing Half Priced Books. Michael obtained his Bachelor's in government from the University of Texas at Austin. Michaels decided his love of reading history would serve him well as an attorney. Thus he held high aspirations of becoming a highly successful lawyer. Upon graduation Michael relocated to San Diego, CA to work at and attend the University of San Diego Law School.

While in San Diego, Jessica found it very difficult and saddening that she could not find time to see her family back in Texas. Concurrently, after a few short months, Michael quickly realized law was not his passion. He then began to reflect on his childhood dream of flying fighter jets. As time continued to pass and the Christmas holiday came and went, Michael and Jessica settled on the idea to relocate back to Texas. Equipped with the separation from family coupled with Michael’s newly discovered ambition to fly jets, Michael and Jessica journeyed back to Texas to be near family. Since Michael has been working diligently toward achieving his dream of flying for the United States military. Upon returning to Texas, Jessica quickly decided it was time to jumpstart her public policy career. Jessica has began to develop her philosophy on education in the public sector while serving as a teacher in a non-traditional charter school, KIPP: Austin College Prep. (In fact, a picture of Jessica is featured on the school's homepage. Check it out: http://www.kippaustin.org/ )