Coincidence or God's Sovereignty?

After just about two and a half years of marriage Jeremiah and I just had our first true wretched cooking experience. Ugh, it was TERRIBLE.

We meant well. In fact, we meant really well. After church we drove as fast as we could to our dream everyday grocery store, Fresh Market. While at this piece of heaven on earth we picked up two gourmet burgers, which the woman in front of us told us were out of this world. One blue cheese and one bbq cheddar. Delish. We also grabbed a few colorful vegetables. (Oh, and my wonderful husband snuck over to get me a mini cannoli, too!) You may be thinking to yourself, hmm these sound like perfect foods to grill. Well, you're right, they are... in theory.

You see, at our apartment, we're technically not allowed to have a grill nor will we be able to at our new condo. I however, cannot settle for something that I can't have. Mom, sound familiar? So, while reading through the latest Crate & Barrel catalog, I stumbled upon what I thought would be a miracle cure to this problem. A lime green Smokey Joe Weber grill. I know, I know. We're not allowed to have a grill. But what harm could this itsy bitsy teeny weeny "grill" do? Harmless I say.

Well tonight proved that even a lime green apartment-sized grill can't fix all of life's problems. Now, it could be that Jeremiah only put a mere 14 coals in the bottom, or it could be God's way of laughing in our faces for participating in illegal activity. But either way, what seemed to be a fantasy grill meal quickly became the biggest bust in history. The veggies barely steamed to a just-slightly-soggier-than-raw consistency, at which point we tried to redeem them in the oven. The burgers then slid on the grate without a sizzle or a puff of smoke, at which point we tried to redeem them with a cast iron skilled on the stove. Let's just say, we found no hint of the gospel in any part of the meal. (No redemption, get it?) The only thing we gained from this experience was an apartment filled to capacity with thick smoke that I was sure would set even our packing-tape-covered smoke alarms off. Whoops, more illegality. You'd think with the microwave exhaust, the ceiling fan, and the bathroom vent all on high, plus me throwing the front door opened and closed, the smoke would dissipate. Let's just say, I'm still inhaling the gray stuff almost an hour later.

Jeremiah and I have a joke when we try a new meal that if it's gross, "there's always McDonald's." Well, tonight McDonald's couldn't even help our desperate situation. Instead, I feasted on a crabcake appetizer from The Grill at Waterford and Jeremiah is stuffing down some beef lo mein from our local China Wong. Now that I think about it, perhaps he knew all along what he was doing with that little grouping of charcoal. He's been craving China Wong for days.

The End is Near

15 days left of school! We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although, the end of school is much like awaiting Christmas. On one hand, there's only 15 school days left! On the other hand, there's... 15... school... days... left...

All Grown Up

All three Koehler kids are officially grown up. My parents' baby boy graduated from Penn State University this past weekend, transitioning my immediate family into a new phase of life. We're all adults now, out in the real world fending for ourselves (for the most part). Shortly after Jeremiah and I got engaged, Cameron so affectionately told me that at some point they stop being parents and start being old friends. In a way, he's right. We're not kids anymore, and although our parents will always be our parents, I think families inevitably move into a new way of being at this point in the game. There are a lot of good things and traditions from my childhood and my life prior to this point that sometimes I'm not sure I want to give up. As I think about our lives moving forward, I understand that I don't have to give them up, but I do need to embrace this new phase. It's exciting to think about the future. It's exciting to think about interactions more closely relating to friendships. It's exciting to think about marriages and babies and all that comes with expanding our family of five (well six, with Jeremiah).

There were moments of emotion at Cameron's graduation, but also moments of joy and celebration. We're so proud of him. Sitting next to my parents during the ceremony allowed me to reflect on how vital the two of them were in the process. They beamed with pride for Cameron, and they should. They played a huge role in the man he has become and the success he has achieved. They've done a heck of a job raising three very different kids to be pretty great. Cameron would argue he was granted the best of everything, but I'd say my sister and I didn't turn out so bad either.

Congratulations, Cameron. I can't believe you're all grown up already. Well done.

Happy Birthday, Jeremiah!

My sweet husband turned the big 2-4 yesterday. #1 on his birthday list was to go to a Phillies game, so we did just that. We traveled back up to Pennsylvania to stay with my parents before the game on Sunday. That afternoon ten of us stood in the freezing cold watching the Phillies lose, all in celebration of Jeremiah. No, the outcome and weather were not ideal, but yes, we had a great time and I'm so glad Jeremiah was able to have friends and family and Phillies all together on his birthday. 

And doesn't everyone need to be honored on their birthday?? Jeremiah is so great because...

he loves Jesus, he loves me, he's quite funny, he makes up his own words that really make me laugh, he's smart, he cares about people, he's a chameleon, he's gracious, he's not a worrier, he goes with the flow, he's doing great things as a teacher, he's patient, he has gorgeous blue eyes, he's free as a bird on the dance floor, he watches Food Network and HGTV with me voluntarily, he explains Lost to me, he likes to learn, he's going to be a great dad, he's silly, he loves my family, he gives words of affirmation constantly, he's determined to put together all of our IKEA purchases even though he'd really rather be doing anything else in the world...

And of course that's just brushing the surface of all the reasons Jeremiah is quite a guy. Here's the birthday boy himself blowing out his candles (on a Bacardi rum cake, of course) and watching the Phillies.

Here's Jeremiah with his brother, Ben, who met us at the game since he's right down the street at Temple. He hates the Phillies. Booooo.

Ben (and Ashleigh) and Mark all came, too!

PS. Doesn't he look cute in his new hat??

Decorating Help

I just discovered this website. You can find me on here from now until we move into our new place.

http://www.homestyler.com/designer

Homeowners!

It feels good to say that word! Yes, Jeremiah and I signed a contract to officially purchase our first home. We will be moving into our brand new condo sometime late fall. It hasn't even been built yet--construction begins mid-summer. It has been fun to be able to pick out pretty much exactly what will be in the home, and has made the whole process personal and a lot of fun! We have been considering homeownership for several months, as we have decided that we think Virginia will suit us well for the next 3-5 years at least. This whole condo thing came about kind of quickly, but it truly was a blessing that we found it when we did. While considering that a condo might be the best choice for us right now financially, we learned that a lot of FHA standards were changing just days after we had looked. After lot of praying and agonizing and second-guessing everything, we decided to get in the game while the time was right. If we were to wait until after the FHA standards change, we would not have been able to buy a home at all for quite awhile.

So, we're excited! Since it's not built yet, we don't have pictures of the actual place yet. There are pictures online if you search around. Our neighborhood is called Westwood Village, in Midlothian, VA. Here's a sneak peak of the entrance, ha!

The Next Cake Boss

Anyone familiar with the hit TLC series, The Cake Boss? If you are, you know who I'm talking about when I refer to Buddy. If you aren't, I'll let you know that Buddy is the head honcho at his bakery, and he comes off rather fierce on TV. And like I said, I could be the next "cake boss." Wondering why? I'll tell ya.

Over spring break this past week, Jeremiah and I ventured north to visit family. During part of our stay, I traveled even further north to Poughkeepsie, New York with my mom and sister. For sixteen hours over two days, we were taught how to make gum paste flowers by Betty VanNorstrand. Betty taught the cake boss, Buddy, all that he knows only a mere six years ago. And in case you're wondering, Betty claims that the aggressive, commanding Buddy we see on TV is really just an act. Apparently, he's nothing like that in real life. She would know.

This 81 year old lady is no joke. She travels all over the place teaching classes, lives minutes away from The Culinary Institute of America (where she teaches), has invented crazy tools to help the world of wedding cakes, and has apprenticed a number of pastry big wigs. 

And there I was, sitting in her wretchedly out-of-date basement, never having touched or seen gum paste in the flesh (had only heard of it from Ace of Cakes) and getting the same lessons as the cake boss. I predicted Betty would have had it with me by lunchtime on the first day; but alas, it took her til mid-afternoon on the second day to tell me to quit complaining. And I will say I was a tad insulted by that comment, being that this stuff is nearly impossible and I am a pretty impatient perfectionist. She's a sweet lady on the whole, though, so I got over it. 

I'll let you be the judge. I think I ended up doing pretty well. That's from scratch people. 

My sister was hoping my mom and I could learn so that we would be able to help her as she tries to start up her own cake business from home. I'll just say this... Andria makes crazy amazing cakes without flowers. Order those.