when Stephen met Rachel

I met Stephen seven years ago on May 21, 2006.

photo from our honeymoon

That January, I had helped my mom and stepdad move from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. I was on Christmas break during my freshman year of college in Chicago, so I flew back to school for the second semester. In  May, I returned to Pennsylvania for a month before I went to work at camp for the summer.

I had heard Steve’s name, and I caught wind of how he was well-liked at our new church. I had seen one photo of him when he was in high school. Also,I had met his mom and two of his brothers. But he too was away at college, and May 21st was the first time that our paths collided.

It was a Sunday morning, and my mom and I were sitting together in church. From the left side of the congregation, Steve approached the front microphone. He brought out his guitar, and began singing “In Christ Alone”. Between the powerful lyrics of the song, and his incredible singing voice, I wiped away a couple tears from my eyes. He was so handsome, and I felt an immediate stirring in my heart.

When church was over, I was walking past him to leave the room, and we managed a “hey” and a “hi”.

Later that night, we came back to church for a special “Spring Sing” (think church talent show). Steve was the M.C., and he was really witty on the microphone, introducing the kids and adults for their music performances. At one point, I remember distinctly that an older woman in the church, Doris, (a true saint of the church) told the story of how she met her husband, Ray. She was sixteen years-old, and she was a soloist at her church in Michigan. As she was up on the stage singing, she noticed a man in army uniform walk in late. She said that she almost stopped singing. They continued making eye contact through her song. And when she sat down with her mother in the pew, she whispered, “My husband just walked in the door.” Doris and Ray were married for 62 years before he passed away. I looked across the room to Steve.  Somehow I felt the same scenario had just happened to me.

After the show, everyone went downstairs to the fellowship hall for dessert. I sat down with my mom, my friend Meghan, and Meghan’s mom. And a surprise to me, Steve sat down right across the table from me. He was definitely extroverted and enthusiastic. He introduced himself, and he learned a little bit about me. And what sticks out the most from that first conversation—he drew me a map on the paper tablecloth. Since I was new in town, he wanted to show me all of the hot spots. I’m sure I had the hugest smile on my face. He told me the best place to eat in town was Sheetz (gas station/convenience store), and he even proceeded to tell me the best way to make a slushie there. I was floored by his kindness, his energy, and his green eyes.

Steve and I saw each other at church a couple more times that month, and we had a memorable game of frisbee golf on Memorial Day. I left for camp in mid-June. He had worked at the same camp in previous summers, but chose not to counsel there in the summer of 2006. He however did volunteer at camp for 2 weeks—one week in June, and one in July. I continued to have the biggest crush of my life. Camp is a story for another day. 2006 did not end up being our summer. The spark had been lit, but we would wait until July 2007 for a relationship to begin :)

a walk around campus | non-stagrams

After Steve finished his final papers on Thursday, the three of us took a walk around his campus.

Nolan was so excited to have the freedom to roam!

He was pointing upwards, saying “Tree! Tree!”

Stopping in front of the English building where Steve had all of his classes.

Happy boy.

The sun was bright as it was going down.

Waving and yelling “Bye” at Mommy and Daddy (who weren’t leaving).

Hanging out on the steps.

He LOVES rocks and wanted to stay here and play.

Giving Mommy some rocks.

He got so tired of walking that he asked to be picked up on the way to the car (never happens).

He slept really well that night!

bundts twenty-six to thirty

Here are five bundt cakes I’ve baked recently from recipes
at Mix and Match Mama.
The links below the photos will take you to their recipes.

Pink Lemonade
This cake was amazing, and very lemony. It was like eating candy, and I couldn’t even finish my piece! I found that Pillsbury makes a “Pink Lemonade” frosting in a can (got it at my Walmart).

Mississippi Mud
Mmm—my favorite of this series of five. The frosting is made of cream cheese and marshmallow cream!

Chocolate Cherry Coca-Cola
This one was really good! The recipe called for regular Coke, and grenadine to bring the cherry flavor. Instead, I just used Cherry Coke. It was a little difficult to detect the cherry flavor, but I did like the texture created by the pop.

Hazelnut Cream
If you like hazelnut creamer in your coffee, this is a cake for you! This particular recipe didn’t call for chocolate chips, but I like to throw them in there :)

Chocolate Coffee Hazelnut
We drink Folger’s hazelnut coffee every day at my house, so I had to try this flavor of cake. Delicious!

Follow this link to see the other 25 cakes I’ve made.

a big decision

Yesterday morning, Steve finished writing his last final paper. His classes for his PhD are officially over! He next will work on passing a test in August, and then he is “ABD”—All But Dissertation. For now, it is SUMMER!

In April, Steve had an interview for a TA (Teaching Assistant) job for the 2013-2014 school year. With this position, he would teach his own English classes at the university. He was a TA from 2009-2011 at his undergrad/master’s university. And for the past two years, he has been a GA (Graduate Assistant), helping out a professor with research, errands, and paperwork. For the new TA position, everyone else in his cohort was applying as well, so we were very uncertain if he was going to get it. On April 18, he opened his e-mail to:

“Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected for a position as a part-time temporary instructor for 6 credits for the 2013-2014 academic year!”

Steve and I were so excited!  We hugged and celebrated for a few minutes. And then Steve reread the e-mail, and saw this:

“You will be assigned all 6 credits (2 courses) in the Spring, and
no courses in the Fall.”

Our faces fell. Instead of hiring a few TAs—who would each teach four classes over a whole school year, the university split the positions in half. Everyone got a job, but for only two classes during one semester.

Steve’s job does not begin until January 27th, 2014. We were anticipating a full year job, with a doubled paycheck. Now, he won’t work, or get paid from the university for eight months. Yikes!

So we began brainstorming what we are going to do.

Steve’s side job for the past three years has been remodeling and painting. About two days a week, he drives an hour to his hometown to work. If he wants to make this his full-time job for the summer and fall, I don’t want him driving two hours round-trip, and I don’t want him gone 12 hours a day.

So we are contemplating moving to Steve’s hometown. He would still have to commute next January-May to teach his classes, but hopefully it would only be two or three days a week, and for just a few hours at a time.

We could have our parents within minutes of us, and we would have our church family there as well.

But it’s still not an easy decision. There are plusses and minuses to living in each place. We have established some roots here for two years (although shallow ones). Nolan was born here! We have made some sweet friends. I knew this was not our forever home, but I also thought we would be here for four years, instead of just two.

If we move, our next place will be our fifth address in only four years of marriage.

So we’ll keep praying for God’s direction. Our lease is up at the end of July. We still have a little bit of time to make this big decision.

chilled raspberry cheesecake

As you may have noticed, I don’t think a dessert is a dessert unless it has chocolate in it.
Raspberries + chocolate = one of my favorite combinations.

Ingredients:
1  1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (45 wafers, crushed up)
1/3 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 ounces of raspberries
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
raspberries for garnish

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, cocoa, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the melted butter while stirring. Press the mixture onto the bottom and slightly up the side of a  9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, and let it cool completely.

Stir the raspberries until they form almost a puree. My raspberries were a little wet after washing them, so they fell apart easily when I stirred them. Set them aside.

Fill a small bowl with the 1/2 cup of cold water. Sprinkle the envelope of gelatin over the water, and let it stand for 3-5 minutes to soften. Add the 1/2 cup of boiling water, and stir until the gelatin dissolves, and the mixture is clear.

Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until it is smooth. Gradually add in the raspberries and the gelatin, mixing thoroughly. Pour into the baked crust.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight. (I cut into it after 4 hours, and it had solidified). Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan with a knife, and then remove the side of the springform pan.

For the chocolate whipped cream layer, stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium bowl. Pour in 1 cup of cold whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat for a couple minutes until it is stiff. Then spread the whipped cream over the top of the cheesecake. Garnish with extra raspberries.

It is really delicious! The crust tastes like a chocolate cookie, I love the fruity and creamy taste of the raspberry, and the chocolate whipped cream—I could eat it by the spoonful. Please let me know if you have any questions about it!