“I’m like the office toilet. I take all the crap that comes in and flush it away, so that no one has to deal with it.”

Now, I really do not like calling myself a toilet, but I like the premise. I want to make all of the crap in Matt’s life disappear (and I know he feels the same). One main piece of crap right now is the Academy. Well, it is not necessarily crap but it is a bit daunting and a challenge. I met with a friend who has already been an Academy wife, and she gave me some great advice. She encouraged me to meal plan and prep snacks / lunches. Then I will be prepared for meals and not be resentful when he asks me to make those for him.

I have been a peanut butter & jelly making machine. Did you know you can make them ahead of time and freeze them? Shari told me that, and my freezer is now FULL of sandwiches. That 20 minutes (which is about how long it took to turn a whole loaf of bread into sandwiches) will save me a lot of time and griping later. I also bagged some snacks and put them in the fridge for easy access. Now Matt can just grab them and go.

As far as flushing out crap, there are lots of little things that I can help Matt out with. Prepping meals? Check. Putting gas in my car? Check. Laundry? Well that’s a half check! I also choose to speak highly of him in front of others. Building up our marriage with love and respect will prevent some crap from getting in. Matthew helps me out by protecting me emotionally and spiritually. How can you flush the crap out of your marriage?

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Running has brought us closer together and we're stronger than ever!

No idea where to go with this, really. How can I surpass women who do noble things? What is this verse saying about a wife and how can I apply it to my life? I have been thinking about this all week and I still have no idea where to go with it. The only thing that I can think of is to constantly strive to better myself and my marriage. There are many ways in which to do that. Our church has been going through the Courageous study (based on the movie), with the men and women separated. This is not usually our style, but it has been great for us to work through things on our own. Matt and I then discuss things at home and work on what we think needs to change. Our communication has gotten so much better through this. We have also started running together (boo!) and this gives us a lot of time to talk. I also meet with an older (than me) woman from church on Tuesday mornings and she helps me sort through my emotions and thoughts and become a better partner for Matthew. How can you better your marriage and “surpass” other women? What does this verse mean to you?

She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

This is the first time that we have heard about what the Proverbs 31 woman looks like or wears.  She makes gorgeous coverings for her bed and wears beautiful clothes.  I bet she makes her “fine linen and purple” apparel as well!  This verse brings two things to mind:  our master bedroom and my wardrobe.  I used to be horrible at making the bed in the morning (even though I was forced to as a child / teen); but things have changed.  I realized that the two minutes it takes to pull back the sheets / comforter and throw pillows on the bed makes all the difference in the world.  Walking into the bedroom is now refreshing — I no longer sigh in disgust!  I have also started cleaning off my night stand every few weeks; it quickly becomes at catch-all for books and lip gloss and the like.  This cleaning definitely de-clutters the space.  Matthew has mentioned a few times how nice the bedroom looks — and you always want your bedroom to be a welcoming space, right?

In lieu of a picture of my clean room (because I don't have one), Emily has shared hers! Thanks, Em!

Now, her clothing.  She makes her own fabulous clothes.  This requires time management (again?), material, and style.  I may not have the time and energy to make my own clothes right now, but I can still apply this verse to my life.  This woman has style (purple and fine linen were the epitome of style) and frugality as we already learned.  I am going to work on being stylish with what is already in my wardrobe.  This means actually putting together daily outfits, not just throwing on jeans and whichever shirt is clean!  How can you apply this verse to your life?

When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

My "home" in Salzburg, covered in snow!

This verse shows us how a godly woman is prepared for the future.  She knows that the winter will come, but has already prepared her family for it.  The winter can be expected, but this verse also makes me think about what unexpected things I need to prepare for with my family.  Matt and I purchased a small emergency backpack for us, but we are planning to create a larger emergency supply kit as well.  We have been buying large bottles of water and plan to get non-perishables or dehydrated food to last us a week!  What have you done to plan for future emergencies or just the winter?

Anyone else excited for the Big Brother finale?

It’s fun to talk about, but I realize that I could be doing something much more productive with my time. Do you ever find yourself thinking that too? Or are you totally not into TV? Most evenings in our house are spent watching at least a couple hours of TV. (Much of that is me on the computer blogging, too.) It’s easy to say that Matt and I are spending time together, but it’s not exactly quality time. I often say that I’m willing to give up the TV, but it’s just such a staple that it would be weird not to have it. There’s also the big debate (especially in the design world) as to whether there should be a TV in the bedroom or not.

I don’t really know where I’m going with all this, except maybe to find out if anyone else feels like they spend more quality time with their TV than with their spouse, family or friends. We’ve been getting better at having people over — after we drop our lame excuses not to hang out with people — and I hope that we will continue to do that. Heck, even having people over to watch TV — like when we had our mini Bachelor finale party — makes it a better experience.

So how much TV do you watch a week? Would you ever consider giving up some of that time to spend more quality time with you family and friends?

I also was able to see some other friendly faces, including this one you might recognize…

I hitched a ride with my parents and on a tip from my cousin Rebecca, we made a pit stop at the newly opened Bouchon Bakery in Beverly Hills. Matt and I had dinner at the Bouchon Bistro in Yountville earlier this year, but we weren’t able to make it to the bakery. Thankfully, my parents were up for the detour, even though it added over an hour to our trip.

We went a little crazy and got a few TKO cookies (like fancy Oreos), a peanut butter, and an oatmeal raisin for my dad, plus a couple of macarons.

Of course, I busted out my phone to take pictures like a crazy super fan. Sorry they aren’t better quality, it was hard to keep my phone still since I was shaking with excitement.

I was tempted to pick up a travel mug, but they were pretty pricey for someone who doesn’t really drink coffee.

What were you up to this weekend?

Date Afternoon in the Park

I was wondering how often you all go on date nights?  I plan to ask a series of questions about date nights, so be prepared for more polls about this!

Anything to add to your poll answer?  Leave it in the comments!

I was very excited about our new propane lantern -- the sound of it (propane burning) just screams camping to me!

 Camping List

• Tent
• Sleeping Bags
• Pillows
• Air Mattress & Pump / Camping Mats to Sleep on
• Lantern(s) [we like one battery operated and one propane]
• Flashlight(s)
• Backpack
• Hiking Shoes
• Shower Towels & Hand Towels & Washcloth [if we just go up for a weekend, we do not usually shower]
• Toiletries (travel sized is best)
• Sunscreen
• Chairs
• Broom
• Firewood

Kitchen Specific
(we try to keep all of this in one tub so it is packed and ready to go when we are!)

• Plates & Cups
• Napkins & Paper Towels
• Silverware
• Barbecue Tools & Spatula
• Cast Iron Skillet & Pots / Pans
• Tablecloth
• Wash Tub (see the picture below a great two sided collapsible plastic dish washing station that my friend brought)
• Bucket for Water (again, collapsible is great)
• Dish soap
• Dish towels
• Sponge
• Cooler & Ice
• Stove
• Grate (a homemade metal grate that goes over the campfire for cooking)
• Hot Dog Skewers
• Kettle
• Ziploc Bags
• Trash Bags
• Citronella Candles
• Food (definitely make a meal plan) and water
• Matches

Happily scrubbing away our dishes by the lantern light

Can you see the awesome two sided dish washing station and collapsible water bucket?

My dad with the tongs... ready to fry some chicken!

We split up parts of the meal making — he did the chicken and I did the waffles.  My mom set the table and my hubby was studying!

My waffle station -- I was in charge of all waffle making!

Dad battering the chicken pieces

We used a Thomas Keller recipe which involved creating a brine for the chicken and letting it soak overnight — my dad was in charge of the prep work as I was driving from So Cal at the time!

The yummy final product!

We had a great time cooking together and eating with the rest of the family.  Growing up, my parents switched off cooking every night. Matthew and I tend to cook together, or it is up to whomever is hungriest. How do meals get cooked in your home? Do you like working together to create family style meals as well?

Here are some pictures. I wish there was a big family photo or two, but at least seeing these bring me some great memories.

Thanks for letting me gush about my family! They’re a big part of my life and it wouldn’t be right not to share it with my NewlyWife crew. Are you especially close with your family?