garden woes

So...Devon and I are beginning to wonder if the garden is gonna produce anything this year.  Maybe we're not being patient enough.  It is the first time for both of us doing this.  We tilled up a pretty big area of land and one of our biggest problems is weeds (aka:  grass and clovers!)  I truly cannot keep up.  I'm able to keep the tops of our rows pretty clear, but the sides are beginning to look like full rows of grass.  That cannot be good.  Some of this grass is so deeply rooted, that all I do is break it off. 

I was really excited about our radishes.  They seemed to be one of the only things really growing.  I looked at the seed package and it looked like the radishes met all qualifications for picking.  I was beyond excited to go out there and pick them after church on Sunday, I could hardly get home fast enough.  Well I went out there took the below picture...picked a radish only to not find a radish at all.  I dug deep thinking that it had to be down there somewhere!  (i've learned where it should be now, don't worry).  I then saw the tinyest little bulb that I believe was suppose to be the radish.  Sad.  I put it back into the ground hoping that maybe a little more time would make it plump up.  Who knows... 

Our Spinach is little, but it's there.  Our tiny little kahl plants are being nibbled away.  Our broccoli has little plants, so here's hoping!  We got one tomatoe plant budding up...which I was very excited to discover!  Nothing coming up in the carrots or peppers areas. 

The question is...do we perservere and go ahead and plant our beans, squash, and zuchnni? 

I know one think I've learned is that I think we need to start our plants ahead of time next year, in those little black plastic trays (don't you love my garden lingo).    Nothing like learning as we go :)

Easter Weekend

We had busy, but great Easter weekend.  It's hard to start the work week after such a nice weekend together.  Devon thankfully had Good Friday off.  He did get called into the airport for a couple hours Friday morning, but it worked perfect cause I was on a quest to find some cheap shoes to wear while working in the garden.  I went to about 6 different stores searching and ended up back at the first place we went...Good Will.  I got a $3.49 pair of Avia tennis shoes...and also picked up a $2.50 pair of camoflauge pants :)  You see, Devon has a pair that he wears all the time doing yard work and I couldn't pass them up.  So we both had on our camo pants and then Devon brought down two of the below hats for us to wear.  I wonder what the neighbors thought...

We worked in the garden for about 5 hours Friday afternoon.  One of the hottest days of the year so far...in the mid 80's.  Needless to say, we both started our farmers tan in style.  Devon worked hard tilling up the ground (for a 2nd time to make sure it was good and ready for planting), while I worked on getting all the weeds and rocks out and raking the soil into our rows.  We planted spinach, kahl, broccoli, radishes, tomatoes, green/red peppers(we don't know which), onions, and carrots.  We still have some more tilling and planting to do, but that'll be in a couple more weeks.  We have green beans,  lima beans, cucumber, squash, zuchinni, cantalope, and watermelon to plant.  I'd like to get some sweet potatoes too!  And, we've talked about getting some blue berry bushes and maybe doing a few strawberry plants.  This is the first time for both of us doing a garden...we may be being a little over zealous on our first try...but we'll see! 

Saturday we worked on Devon's house.  He's got a little one bedroom house that is located in one of the...hmmm how should I say this....well, the house isn't located in the best area of Shelby.  There are break-in's, fights, and gun fire on a regular basis.  We're wanting to fix the house up a bit and sell it.  So, if you're one of the 3 people who may read this...pray that we get the house fixed up and sold quickly.  It will definitely be a weight off our shoulders to not have this house over our heads anylonger.  Devon spent the morning working on the yard and I spent the morning puddying holes and dry-wall.  I'm honestly excited to see what this little place is gonna look like when we're done!  I pray that the right owner comes along. 

Saturday evening Devon's sisters came over and we all went over to Annie & Robbie's and dyed Easter eggs with them.  It was a lot of fun!

Devon's sisters spent the night with us.  We got up at 3:20am (yes you read that correctly) and got ready and headed to the Easter Sunrise Service at Chimney Rock.  it's an annual tradition for the Raisch family.  This year Devon and I were the only ones who were going to be able to make it, so the girls stayed with us.  It was a beautiful beautiful way to begin Easter day.  I'm so thankful to truly understand the significance of what Easter Sunday represents.  So thankful that Jesus Christ conquered death and now all our sins are forgiven and we have direct relationship to God Himself!  AMAZING!   That is another entire blog post all in itself...

We made it back from the service in time to go out to Ihop for breakfast and get to the YMCA where our church meets.  Devon was falling asleep to the left of me and his sister, Jamie, was falling asleep to the right of me.  It was hard not to chuckle.  At one point I put my arm around Jamie and put my hand on her head so it would stop bobbing up and down.  We definitely enjoyed a long afternoon nap yesterday!  We decided not to work in the garden or on the house yesterday afternoon, but just relax and enjoy some time together.  I'm truly blessed...

One Year

So my last blog was March 22, 2009.  I thought it'd be fitting to start my blog back today :-)  It will still be full of ramblings, but quite possibly ramblings about some different things seeing as how this past year has been one amazing journey!  God is so good to me and I'm truly truly thankful.  Lets just see if I can highlight my year away from the blogging world...

May 2009 - got engaged to the most amazing man, Devon Raisch
June 2009 - September 2009 - busy planning our wedding, buying a house and fixing it up. 
September 5, 2009 - blessed beyond words to marry Devon (never believed that day would come and then God completely exceeded my expecations.  amazing...)  Devon and I still talk about what an amazing wedding day it was.  I could write an etire post just on this day alone.
September 5-12, 2009 - honeymoon in Alexandria, VA.  (such a wonderful wonderful week!)
September 2009 - present - playing house :-)    Loving married life.  Maybe it's because both Devon and I are a little bit older getting married, but we still on a regular basis say things like, "you're really here" or "look what we get to do" or "look at what God has given us"  etc, etc, etc

I pray that daily we'll continue to put God first, eachother second, and as a result continue to dance through life together.  I'm not ignorant of the difficulties of life that come up, but I'm not gonna sit and expect them to come around the next corner.  One day at a time, living each to the fullest as best as I can, and we'll see what life holds :)  Thanks for reading and welcoming me back to the blogging world!

Fiddler on the Roof

Yesterday I had an AMAZING opportunity to see the production of Fiddler on the Roof. Now, the reason why this production was amazing is because Topol, the original Tevye, was in this show. It is the Farwell Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and he returned to play Tevye one last time. (fun fact: Topol has played the part of Tevye over 2500 times since the early 1970's)

I grew up watching Topol play Tevye in the well known movie. As a kid there were a few songs here and there that we always loved, but as I've gotten older...I absolutely LOVE this story of family and tradition. I had seen the production once before a couple years ago, and all I talked about after it was over, was how the man who played Tevye, didn't do a good job (I know, not nice of me). Well yesterday, when Topol started singing for the first time, I couldn't keep myself from smiling. It was a true pinch me experience.

As I was leaving the theatre, I was struck with an overwhelming emotion of missing my dad. Isn't it funny, how after over 7 years of him being gone, I can still have those random overwhelming moments of grief. I wanted so badly to be able to call him and tell him all about how amazing Topol was to see in person and how much he would have loved seeing it too. I know he would have been so excited to hear all about it. I'm thankful I inherited a love of musicals from my dad. Great memories.

a first

So yesterday I experienced "a first" in my life. Yesterday I fired a gun for the first time, and it happened to be a shot gun no less! Here's how it happened:

I walked to one of my neighbor's, Caroline, house after work to visit for a little bit. She happens to be one of my dearest friends these days and is actually getting married this coming Saturday to a wonderful guy named Nick. Her fiance was there moving in some of his things so I offered to help him carry some of the stuff. The following conversation then took place

Nick: Any of the camoflauge bags can come in
Mandy: Um, are all of these guns?
Nick: (chuckling) Yes
Mandy: I don't know if I can carry these
Nick: why?
Mandy: I've never held a gun before, well other than a bb gun at camp
Nick: WHAT? Are you serious?
Mandy: Yes, I'm serious. And, why does one guy need all these guns?
Nick: they all shoot different and are for shooting various things. And, this isn't all of them
Mandy: Devon was talking about all the guns he has. I don't think Devon even hunts
Nick: (chuckling again) oh, he doesn't hunt. you just need to know that guys are gonna have guns...

(nick proceeded to say more about this, but i can't remember his explanation as to why guys have and like guns...so, i'm just accepting it for what it is...that some of them do)

We (Nick, Caroline, and I) finished carrying everything inside. Caroline and I were chatting in the kitchen when Nick walked out of the bedroom with a shot gun in hand. Don't worry, there was some special lock over the safety of the gun. He said that we were going to have to remedy the fact that I've never shot a gun before. I proceeded to argue that we couldn't just go outside in the neighborhood and fire a gun, to which Nick responded, "sure, why not." I was positive that someone would hear the shot and call 911. Yes, we live in a tiny country town and not a big city, so I know Nick was right. So the three of us walked out on the future Mr. & Mrs. Lewis' back deck and Nick explained all the parts of a shot gun, the type of shell that was being used, and what happens to that shell once it's fired. I can't remember the specifics of the type of shell we used, but I do remember that Nick said something about "if I stood by that shed over there and got hit with it, it would sting, but it wouldn't really hurt me." Again, I took him at his word and believed him. I trust people so easily, don't I? So, Nick showed me the proper way to hold a shot gun, with my elbow up and it in the pocket by my shoulder and not actually on my shoulder, and where I place my cheek. He was great and supported the gun as well, since it was my first time shooting it. I clicked the safety off...and fired. The gun definitely kicked back and made a crazy amazing sound! The sound of a shot gun fire really lasts for at least a full second or second and a half...that's a long time! I must admit...it was a lot of fun! But, please...don't tell anyone I didn't wear ear plugs when I shot it! :)

3 months away

Well hello to those of you who would even venture to check out my blog any more. With 3 months with nothing, I'm surprised if anyone checks it out. My loss definitely. So, I'll write about a few exciting things that have gone on the past few months and then try and get back into "normal" blogging. (I won't ask you to hold your breath though, cause I don't trust myself).

To the left is sweet, precious Nathanael. I really cannot say enough how much of a blessing this season of life is, getting to live next door to Annie, Robbie, and Nate. I don't see them every day, but I sure do see them several times during the week. This is a picture of some time Nathanael and I had together this past Friday while Annie & Robbie went to a Valentine's day dinner. So, cute to see him playing and inspecting the bubbles. He's walking and babbling up a storm. Amazing to watch babies grow and develop. Again, such a sweet season in life, and I'm thankful.

On another note, I'm almost done with school!!! I offically graduate on Saturday March 7th from A.T. Still University in Arizona. I've been "in school" though an online program for a little over two years now getting my clinical doctorate in Audiology. A lot of people don't even know I'm doing this program cause I try and keep quiet about it, as I feel like it seems like it's a bigger deal than it really is. I guess now I'm shouting it to the blogging world, aren't I? I'm just so darn excited to have ZERO SCHOOL WORK! woohoo! I can read with no guilt and I can plan my weekends with no thought for quizes, exams, papers, or projects! I have one more online class chat next Monday and my last final due next weekend, and then I'm home free.

Joe Bud...I need you to meet me in Arizona on 3/7/09 so we can take our normal graduation pic! (see link to interpret that code language) http://mandyleighrambles.blogspot.com/2008/05/tradition.html

randomness

So, since it's been a month since I've posted last, I thought I'd just make this blog entry exactly like my blog sounds...random. Random things I've been doing and thought about

1st...I just like this picture. This is the tree that it outside my office window. I've been loving the fall colors this past week. So beautiful! I could just go out to the blue ridge parkway and watch the leaves for hours during this time of year.

2nd...in college there was a saying that went, "I just pulled a Mandy." Now it was usually when you told a story that you found hilarious, but you were the only one who did so. I did something this week that made me think, "I just pulled a mandy." I was talking to Joe on the phone while cooking dinner. We all know I cannot multitask. A lot of people say this, but for me it is completely true. So, I've got the meat in the oven, the rice cooking on the stove, and I'm cutting up the broccoli. I put the broccoli in my pamper chef steamer that I use weekly. I love this little plastic container that steams your veggies in the microwave in just a few minutes. So easy to use and clean. So, I'm talking with Joe and I look over at the stove and there is smoke billowing off of one of the burners. I lift up my vegetables and tell Joe, wow...there is something really smoking on this burner. It literaly takes me about 30 sec of looking at all of this smoke to realize that what is smoking is....my plastic pampered chef steamer. That's right...in my great multitasking skills, I put it on the stove instead of in the microwave. The situation got funnier from there, but I'll end this little narative here. Dinner ended up turning out pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I love these funny stories I seem to continually supply myself with.

Another thing I did a few weeks ago was run the Chicago Marathon. I essentially ran it with two groups of people. Above is my family group :) I ran it with my brother and two cousins. They all rocked in this marathon! It was Bryan's first, and I really can't say enough how proud I am of him. This marathon for me was not the best. I actually hope to not repeat the experience again. I got dehydrated and essentially had to walk A LOT at the end (I'll spare you the gory details). My brother and cousins waited for me for a couple hours at the finish line. Bryan was so wonderful and had flowers for me. I really am so glad I just finished though. The other group I got to run it with were two girls I ran the Great Wall of China marathon with back in May 07. Brenna lives in Seattle and Judy lives in London. The three of us agreed that this marathon was harder for all of us than doing the Great Wall marathon. Crazy. And, in case you wondering...yes I actually think I would do another marathon. I'll keep you updated on that :)

The weekend after the marathon I got together with some of my dearest, dearest friends...The Appgirls. A group of seven of us girls from college share an email address called appgirls. I am so blessed to keep in touch with them over the years. After college we would meet up in Boone, NC for a weekend reunion once a year, but this stopped a few years ago. Well, we picked it back up again last month spending the weekend in Greensboro together. It was absolutely wonderful. We honestly talked the entire weekend. The TV didn't get turned on once. Have I said it was great?! We've already got a date set for our next reunion...and it's not a year away. I know I can't wait another year before getting together with these girls. Hopefully next time I'll have a picture to share with you of these dear friends.

Okay, that's enough randomness for this email. I'm procrastinating packing for a weekend trip to the mountains. I still need to shower and pack in the next 1.5hrs....