New Puppy & Girls Weekend in Omaha

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great week and had a great weekend! The weather sure wasn't great here in Omaha! We had more SNOW! Luckily the snow didn't come till Saturday so I was still able to make it to Sioux City to see the new puppy that Megan picked up for our farm!
Meet Addy...

Isn't she Cute!!!! Megan and Kyle picked her up from a breeder! She is so playful and such a little ball of energy but then falls asleep real fast when she gets all tuckered out! Even with one short night with her I was already in love with her! I wish I had more time with her before she gets big but she is at the farm now and will be a great family dog. Nothing will ever replace Copper! We have so many amazing memories of him from his warm welcomes when we got back from vacations to rolling in the snow with him. He was part of the family and even in his old age was such a loyal, loving dog. Addy will be a lot of fun to watch grow and to see how her personality develops! I will look forward to going on runs with her on the farm just like Copper and I used to.
Then on Saturday I worked at the pregnancy center then went to the mall to meet up with Kendra, Bailey, Kaela, Mallory and Meghan. Unfortunately my phone died right before I got to the mall so I was searching possible stories they would be in but still didn't find them. After getting smarter and realizing that I could just go to a Radio Shack and charge to my phone I finally met up with them. After shopping we went to a Mexican restaurant on 12oth and Blondo where there were many "rules". We found our waitress saying No to us A LOT! We couldn't split the check, couldn't order pitchers of margarittas and had to wait until our food was ordered to get our chips and salsa! But halfway through my margaritta Mallory and I were talking loud and having a good ol' time! The chips were fantastic and so was the tostadas I ordered. Then we went to Kendra's house to hang out for the night. We prepped our stuff for breakfast and I made an egg casserole. Kendra had all the good movie channels so we watched Bridesmaids, Friends with Benefits, the end of Jurassic Park and The Vow. I just love sappy love stories like The Vow! When we woke up we had a nice breakfast and watched some episodes of Say Yes to the Dress. It was a great weekend, even though Meghan had to leave early due to the snow :(
Today (well technically yesterday) I made the silly mistake of swithcing my schedule at the hospital but not getting someone to cover my shift at the Pregnancy center. Which meant that I had to work from 9 am -4 pm and then from 7pm-7am! NOT GOOD! It is now 2:00 in the morning, my eyes are burning and my Grande latte didn't really do much. Even though I had a wonderful nap from 4-6, my brain still knows I have been up for a long time and didn't get much sleep before my shift. Before we have kids I will definitely be on the day shift! I will need some energy to chase those kids around and night shift has left me pretty drained. I still don't think I'm pushing myself by having 2 jobs but this time the schedule just didn't work out too well. I am sooo looking forward to my bed and snuggling with Kobe when I get home!

Blog site down...Schucks!

Hey everyone! I'm finally able to post something because the blog site is back up after being down for 2 days. I was really starting to get worried because it would be a shame if I had lost all of my posts and couldn't continue with this blog..but all is well! I haven't done much the past 2 days anyways because I have been at work and am currently on my last shift! (YIPPEEE) Work has been great and I have had some wonderful patients the past few nights! And I have once again really wished I knew spanish after having a cute spanish speaking man as a patient for the past 2 nights. I get by with a little "bueno" and "necessita" here and there but for the most part I am left with a confused look on my face. Learning spanish is definitely on my bucket list and I should probably learn it way before I hit the bucket so it comes in handy! But for now I will just hand off the important questions off to the interpreter.
Last Sunday was St. Patrick's day and we didnt' really celebrate much, just went out to eat with Joel and Jack for Joel's birthday. It was a great time..we went to Bonefish grill which has a mostly seafood menu but I ordered a delicious grilled chicken salad with mango and avacado. Then we went to Red Mango which is a frozen yogurt place. I had the peanut butter/cake batter swirl with added gummy bears and strawberries. After that we went back to our house and filled out brackets for March Madness. I finished mine first because there is no rhyem or reason to what teams I pick. Alex stratigically focuses on every match up and is convinced his bracket will win. I have won the past 2 years though ;)
Saturday and Monday I was blessed to work all day at the Pregnancy Center. Man I love that place! Like I have said time and time again the women there that I work with are great and truly have a heart for God and His work with these women. We had many positive pregnancy tests which is always a good sign. After work on Saturday I went to pick up some new running shoes to start off the spring season and broke them in on Tuesday by even running outside since it was 48 degrees in Omaha!
Hope everyone has a great week! I have a fun night on Saturday planned with some of my favorite friends so I will post about that next week! Until then I will end with some prayer points for the Center. Feel free to pray alongside me as big changes are on their way!

1. Please pray for the right women (those who are abortion minded) to reach us at the right time (when they are pregnant) and for the Lord to move in a mighty way upon their lives. Pray that they will not abort their babies and that they will give their lives to Christ.
2. Lift up the Board and the staff as we prepare to open up a branch office in West Omaha. We need the Lord’s wisdom on many details, including staffing, hours, procedures, etc. We are thankful that the Lord has given us the location (which we will reveal at the Banquet!) Now we just need to know the details!
3. Pray for protection for staff members, volunteers and their families from attacks of the enemy. Pray for good health and protection. Please pray that the staff will always remain open to the leading of God’s Spirit in whatever direction He desires us to go. We long to hear His voice and to obey.

Thoughts stemed from Work

I got an email from work the other day that really made me think. Along with an email stating that we should go into a time of prayer and fast for our center and for the upcoming new center in West Omaha, which made me really think of how maybe I should write down my prayers like Aberdeen (sp?) in The Help. I really need to pray for these women and maybe I should just write some prayers right now.
I pray for these women to find strength and to find a hope in their future during the darkest, gloomiest times. I pray that they find the words to tell their family and their significant others the importance of their child's life. I pray that through this experience they come closer to God and to know their path for Him in their lives, to know that He IS their life. I thank god and give him all the Praise that by some twist of fate a young lady came to our center thinking she could get an abortion there. Little did she know that it was not an option and we were able to tell her the gospel and possibly save her child's life. I pray for those women whose children may be born in poverty, in single parent homes, or in homes with little love in general. I pray that the cycle is broken with the help of God so that they can have a bright future and happy childhood that they so much deserve. I pray for healthy pregnancies and healthy life choices for the women that come to our center. That they may hear our words and understand our teachings about harmful substances that are bad for their baby. And I thank god for this wonderful opportunity to help these women. I honestly feel a peace in my heart and that I am in exactly the right spot! Thank you Lord and all the Glory be to you!!!

Weekend in Marcus

Last weekend Alex and I decided to go to Marcus and see my family because we hadn't seen them in awhile, Megan was home on spring break and my parents had just gotten back from Mexico. So we split up the drive by going to Sioux City first and meeting for dinner. One of our family favorites is Outback so we put in our name and were prepared to wait 45 minutes or so because it was packed! About an hour later and having our buzzer go off once which was a false alarm we were finally seated (right next to a couple with a crying baby..haha!) I was craving the cheesy fries and Alex and my dad shared some grilled shrimp for an appetizer. I got a strawberry margarita which was pretty good :) My sister had to wait a long time just to get her soup and salad and Alex's pork wasn't cooked as much as he would have liked it so that was a bummer. But we had great conversation and laughed a bunch. I made the comment that my mom never cries and that she didn't even cry during our wedding but my dad corrected me by saying "Oh that isn't true, She cried during the movie Ted when he got ripped apart!" HAHA! Oh boy! After dinner we drove home and watched a little SNL before going to bed. Sunday morning we went to church and it was nice to hear the new pastor's sermon. He gave a really great sermon about Jesus in Nazareth. In the sermon he talked about we are quick to judge people and we don't like hearing criticism. He also explained how the word "widow" was used to describe a women whose husband died because the husband or the wife was a bad person. Widow is used a lot in the bible and I never knew the meaning behind it.
After Church we ordered food from the Junction and I watched the NDA championships that were on ESPN. It was really fun to watch dance routines again! I finished off the sunday afternoon by taking a long nap! Then my parents, Alex and I went to a movie in Sioux city. We saw Snitch with Dwayne Johnson who plays a dad whose son is charged with selling drugs. It was a pretty good movie and it was neat because "Shane" from The Walking Dead was in it too and Alex and I love that show.
It was a great but short weekend! I miss home so much sometimes and I hadn't been there since New Years day! I can't wait to go back again..whenever that is and hopefully stay longer!

Haven't posted in awhile

Hey everyone! I'm really bored at work and thought it would be good to catch up on some blogging. My patients are all pretty content tonight and I'm just sipping on coffee to stay awake! I wanted to share a link to my friend's blog because she wrote in detail about Alex and I's wedding weekend and I suppose it is only appropriate to post this on our 6 month anniversary :) Kendra was one of my bridesmaids and she has been an amazing friend since my freshman year in college. We met on the dance team and seemed to have a lot in common (except our height! haha) We both have a crazy sense of humor and have a strong faith. She was the one who got me started listening to Klove and I make sure I tell her every once in awhile what a blessing that was to me! We have gone to christian concerts together and I'm so thankful that she lives in Omaha too! She is a great role-model and a friend that I can always count on! Thanks Kendra for recapping my wedding day! http://kendraslifesong.blogspot.com/2013/03/lauren-and-alexs-wedding.html

One of my FAVORITE pictures of US!

Dreaming of Summer (and a beach!)

Tomorrow my parents leave for Playa del Carmen and I'm pretty jealous! They usually go every year to Mexico or the Carribean. With the cold weather and another blizzard on the way probably, I really miss summer days. I especially miss running outside because the gym and treadmill are just way too boring! I thought this would be a good time to write about our honeymoon to Aruba and bring back some warm memories.

We spent 7 days in beautiful Aruba at the Divi Villiage Golf and Beach resort. While we were there we went jet skiing in the ocean, snorkeling and took a tour of the whole island on a landrover. We choose Aruba because my parents had been there and said it was a great place with beautiful sights!

Dinner with the In-Laws

{ This post is linked up @ Home Stories A to Z}
This past Sunday we had Alex's family over. I made my favorite dish which is stuffed shells. I will share the recipe below :) Alex loves this recipe and requests it a lot plus it is super easy. Except this time I had to make 2 large pans full. We also had garlic bread, salad and pie! When the boys Easton and Barrett got here they went crazy over seeing Kobe. However, Kobe was not as thrilled because he began to hide under the coffee table and growl as loud as I have ever heard him. We had to warn the kids that the kitty was dangerous and like a lion! A few minutes into the dinner Lauren asked if we had any special news to announce and I began to laugh. And soon Alex's brother, sister and dad all said they had the same question. Luckily I could tell them definitely not and that I should have known that having everyone over for dinner for no special occasion would throw some people for a loop. We began talking about summer vacation with the family and possible spots. I really would love to go to Okoboji and we will have to decide soon so spots to book up to fast. We played a little pool and watched bits and pieces of the Oscars. It was a fun night and I'm glad we were all able to get together. I also will post my new Easter decor and update you on my workout classes I took this week.

Making these shells are very easy and I have tailored the recipe from other recipes. You could also substitute ground beef/turkey instead of chicken and add cooked spinach to the mixture.

What you will need:

1 box Jumbo pasta shells

2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts

Half a container of the large low fat cottage cheese (sorry for the un-exact measurements)

Package of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1 Jar of Prego traditional marinara sauce

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta shells according to the directions on the box, they only need to be cooked for 9 minutes or so because in order to fill them they need to be a little firm still. Combine the shredded chicken, cottage cheese, and half the bag of mozzarella cheese in a bowl and mix together. Then take one pasta shell and stuff a large spoonful into the shell. After you fill all the shells and put them in a 9x13 pan cover the shells with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Next pour sauce over. Cook in oven for 60 minutes.

I'm telling you, it is a great recipe and the cottage cheese makes it just so delicious!