What's New

Ok. After this blog, I will finally be caught up! Here's what we've been up to for the last couple of weeks...

Last weekend, we visited Lan's aunt and uncle in Beaumont, TX. The original purpose of this trip was to see Lan's cousin, Emory, play football. He had a game in Houston earlier this fall that we went to, but we barely got to see him play because he had an infection in his hand. So, we decided to try again. But, alas, he was injured again (this time with a foot injury). We've decided that we must be bad luck...

But, even though we didn't get to see Emory play, we had fun at the game and had a really great weekend! On Saturday, Lan's uncle took Lan and his other cousin, Ethan, hunting. I stayed with Lan's aunt and we went to a tailgate party at their church.

Oh, and we ate. Lots and lots of yummy, yummy food. Bean dip, sausage/blueberry breakfast casserole, grilled chicken.. the list goes on. In summary, the food was awesome.

On Sunday, we went to Lan's uncle's church and heard him preach, which was fun because I have never heard him preach in person before. So, overall, the trip was great, and we look forward to a trip back at some point!

This weekend, Lan returned to Mississippi to see MSU take down KY (7-2!!), and I stayed home. On Friday, our bible study had a Halloween party, which was really fun! Yesterday, I volunteered with my friend Anne Marie at our church's fall festival. We worked one of the many bounce houses. We had a good time. Other than that, my weekend has been pretty low key. Some shopping and lots of TV.

I don't think we have any big plans coming up in the next few weekends, which is actually really great. It's nice just to enjoy being at home!

In other news, I have a recipe I'd like to share. For my MSU Chi Omega sisters, this recipe reminds me of apple crisp (but better!), so you should try it! Some of you know that I was never a big fan of apple crisp. I tried, I really did, but most of the time, I would pass my apple crisp on to a deserving sister, like Laura Ficken. But, I tried this recipe and fell in love! It is SO YUMMY! I made it for our bible study last week, and everyone really liked it, so I think you would to.

The recipe is from the October issue of Southern living (check it out-- it has 5 stars!!):

Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

I made it with browned-butter icing.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but there's one on SL's website. I was a little concerned about making this because of all the "apple work." I've never been as good as my mom or grandma at slicing/peeling apples, so that part was pretty labor intensive, but oh, was it worth it. Try it. As soon as possible. You won't regret it.

Love from Houston!

Assimilation

Last week, I had a revelation. The first sign that I was really adjusting to Texas culture. I decided that I wanted to eat... (wait for it)... a breakfast burrito. My normal thoughts on breakfast burritos go something like this, "That's weird. I'll take my eggs and breakfast sausage on a biscuit, please." But this time, I almost craved it (odd, since I have never eaten a breakfast burrito before).

It's confusing to come to a place with new food that you know nothing about. For instance, what will I eat on my breakfast burrito? I don't know what's good on a breakfast burrito. And what's the difference between a breakfast burrito and a breakfast taco? I've always been a little fuzzy on their distinguishing characteristics.

So I had this revelation while driving home from work. When I got home, I shared it with Lan, who was initially hesitant (thinking I was suggesting trying one from McDonald's-- nope, not what I had in mind), but happily agreed when I told him I wanted to go somewhere local.

Though a shroud of mystery surrounds the breakfast burrito, I look forward to trying it. If it's just egg, meat, cheese, and tortilla, I think I can handle it. Do I think this is a sign that I'm "becoming a Texan?" Not quite, but I am happy to be here. :)

Happy Anniversary SSRC!

Yeah. I'm behind. So sorry. Two weekends ago, I was in Mississippi for the SSRC's 60th anniversary celebration, so that is the theme of this post. First, a little background... May 2008, I started work at the SSRC as the editor of the SSRC's 60th anniversary book. I was given the job by the SSRC's director, Dr. Cosby. I don't normally like to be serious in blog posts, but my experiences at the SSRC are so important to me. Dr. Cosby put me in this position at a time when I was really trying to figure out where God was directing my career, and this position gave me the direction I needed. I will always be so thankful for that opportunity. Anyway, the SSRC was having a big shindig for their anniversary two weeks ago, and Dr. Cosby graciously paid for me to come back and enjoy it (and my current boss graciously gave me the time off!). It was the official "book release" so it was really a cool weekend for me. Here are some pics...

Me with "my book"

Me with my friend Katherine (if you keep up with my blog, this is my friend that introduced me to Pioneer Woman!!)

Some of my work buddies :)

Me and Sangeetha, my SSRC bestie :)

So, I have lots of other updates, but no time to blog about them now! Expect another update this weekend. Lan will be returning to Mississippi for the Kentucky game, so I will have lots of free time :)

Love from Houston!

New Things

Everyone loves getting new things, and this weekend, we got THREE new things. And I have pictures to prove it. That's big news.

1. Curtains

I ordered these wayyyy back in August, and they were on back order until last week. I am glad they are finally here! They definitely make the living room look more homey.

2. Purse

Well, I guess this is more of something I got than something "we" got... I have been needing a new purse for a long time, and I wanted to get a nicer one (the lining of my last purse broke about one month in- I would be happy if that never happened again). So ta da! Thanks, Nine West.

3. Chair 1/2 and Ottoman (I saved the best for last!!!!)

We have been thinking about and saving up for this purchase for some time, so it feels really good to finally have this in our living room! It's pretty and comfy and I love it :) Come visit us and we'll let you sit in it. Oh, and Lan and I can both fit in it!! Score.

So those are our new "things." Other exciting things in the Holloway household include our first houseguest, Lan's brother Brandon! He came for his fall break last weekend. I feel like we didn't do anything really exciting (sorry Brandon!). We sat at home and watched TV a lot. But he got to go to our church and meet some of our friends and eat at our favorite restaurant, so we had fun! Thanks for coming, Brandon!

This weekend, the Bulldogs are coming to Houston!! How perfect!! And I don't just mean the football team. Our friends Anna, Kim and Ben are also coming to visit for the game! It should be an eventful weekend. There's an alumni tailgate before the game (free food=yay!), which I'm sure will be fun. Good times will ensue.

Then, next weekend, I'm heading back to Mississippi for the SSRC's 60th Anniversary celebration. I am really glad that I was able to get off for this and I can't wait to see all my SSRC friends, college friends, and my family! Yay!

Well, that's all for now. Love from Houston!