Roasted Corn Soup with Avocado Salsa

I made this the other night, and it is definitely a new family favorite! When the hot creamy soup meets the chilled avocado salsa, it's heavenly. Give it a try!

(the recipe serves 8...I cut it in half and it was perfect for dinner for two with left overs for lunch!)

Soup:

2 medium red onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 small jalapenos, finely chopped

11 cups of frozen corn

6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp ground coriander

1 cup heavy cream

Salsa: (even if you're cutting the recipe in half, make the same amount of salsa--it's so good)

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

1 avocado, diced

salt and pepper to taste

To make the soup:

Preheat oven to 400*. In a bowl, coat 6 cups of the frozen corn lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the kernels are a deep golden brown. You may need to stir the corn halfway through. When done, reserve 1 cup of the corn for the salsa and set the remaining 5 cups aide.

After chopping the onion, reserve 1/4 cup for the salsa. Saute the remaining onion in a little bit of oil until translucent. After chopping the jalapeno, reserve 1 tbsp for the salsa and add the remainder along with the garlic to the pot. Add the 5 cups of roasted corn and the 5 cups frozen corn along with the spices and broth and cook on high heat for 10-15 minutes. Puree the soup in batches until smooth and return to the pot. Simmer on low heat as long as you wish. Just before serving, stir in the cream.

To make the salsa:

combine the reserved onion, jalapeno, and corn in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Top off the soup with a spoonful of the salsa (and a dollop of sour cream, if you like) and enjoy!

Today's Laugh

I can't believe I forgot to write this down!

Last week, the 4/5 graders took a Social Studies test on early American history. One of the short answer questions asked, "What brought the Spanish to the Americas? What brought the African peoples to the Americas?"

The correct answer would have been something like, "The Spanish came to the Americas in search of gold, land, and wealth. The African peoples were brought to the Americas to works as slaves."

The student answer which gave me the biggest smile simply said "boats and boats."



Another favorite moment:

During a Language Arts lesson, I was teaching the kids how to use comparative language (more/most). Making sure that they didn't overuse it (i.e. "That was more better"), I gave them several examples to practice with.

"Who can tell me what's wrong with this sentence," I asked, "'Did you know that cats are the most popularest pets in the United States?'"

JJ popped his hand up and said quickly, "It's wrong because cats aren't--dogs are!"

Sad day

I learned this week that the reason I can't get on the internet with my laptop is because the internal internet port thingy is broken. SAD DAY!!! It turns out that to repair that would cost more than the computer is worth. Mourn. It is an old computer...I bought it in 2006 to replace the one that was stolen at school. Sad.

The only time I'm able to get on the internet now is when Jesse's computer is at home (but that usually means that Jesse is home, so why would I be using a computer?) But it's a Mac, so I can't transfer my pictures from my external hard drive to his computer because they're not compatible. Which means all of my pictures sit on a completely useless computer (unless you use computers for anything other than the internet, which in this stage of my life, I don't!)

So I guess I'll be on the search for a new computer. Until then, we will see how things go!

My Year Summed up in Statuses

We've been without internet for a week at our house, and I'm dying to blog with pictures of our recent doings. I'll catch up this weekend (hopefully--if stupid AT&T gets their act together!) But for now, here is what I can do: sum up my year using statuses I put on facebook.

January
♥ Bethany...made caramel apples with Jesse tonight--yum!
♥ ...knows there's a cricket in this house somewhere...
♥ ...is not wild about 5am
♥...is counting down. 8 more days of student teaching!
♥...is so over student teaching. grrr.
♥...is in her last week of student teaching!
♥...is down to her LAST DAY OF STUDENT TEACHING!!!
♥...is FINISHED!
♥...is a baking fiend.
♥...loves the sound of rain on the roof.
♥...is being blessed by the truest Samaritan
♥...is sick of being sick.


February
♥...not only survived her first day of substituting, but loved it!
♥...loves playing Scrabble with Jesse when it's pouring outside and there's a fire going in the hearth ♥
♥...is amazed that there is so much hail on the ground that it looks like snow!
♥...is making soap and valentines
♥...got a surprise visit from her daddy today!
♥...loves her guy
♥...taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade physical science, life science, geography, powerpoint, and algebra today...and now my brain hurts!
♥...is excited that her sisters are coming this weekend!
♥...is eating pink grapefruit and working on an internet assignment.
♥...does not appreciate finding cat hair in her grapefruit.

March

♥...thought I was bleeding until I realized that I had tomato sauce on my forehead. (?)
♥...is getting ready to spend her morning in line at the DMV (blah)
♥...was so proud of shopping during the 8 hour sale at Alberstons...but totally missed that it doesn't begin until 1!
♥...is feeling crafty
♥...is excited about a weekend of family and old friends
♥...feels like it's way too early to be this late. (silly daylight savings...)
♥...is decoupaging while cookies bake
♥...Bethany is wearing PINK today!
♥...is getting ready to say goodbye to Jesse for a week... :'(
♥...all by me onesy
♥...is looking for fun St Patty's class activities to make subbing fun tomorrow :)
♥...is living the life...pjs, tea, crochet, and best friend!
♥...is heading to San Bernardino to hang out with my mom-in-law!
♥...is blissfully happy that her handsome guy is HOME!!!
♥...heading to Ventura this afternoon to see Laura perform!
♥...is cooling down from a great work out and gearing up to do spring cleaning
♥...loves dancing to love songs from the 40's & 50's while house cleaning

April

♥...my baby sister is 16 today!
♥...is harping away
♥...Worthy is the Lamb whose death makes me His own!
♥...Christo anesti!
♥...is doing a dance of triumph around her car after replacing the brake light all by herself!
♥...can replace a car bulb, but wishes she could replace brakes, radiators, and oil filters, because that's what the mechanic is billing her for today (OUCH!)
♥...is baking on a sugar hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh
♥...feels like the week disappeared...it kind of did.
♥...misses the beach
♥...is listening to hymns on pandora
♥...is excited to polish the heirloom silver my mother-in-law just gave me
♥...is itching for a vegetable garden
♥...is winding down from the craziest subbing day ever.
♥...is thankful that Jesse loves her (even when she's grumpy) ♥
♥...has an exciting afternoon ahead of her: 5 loads of laundry???
♥...is excited to surprise Jesse with two days of spending time with Max before we take him to his new home
♥...is helping my mother-in-law move today (and is *ecstatic* that my flower seedlings sprung up over night!!!)

May

♥...singing with Ella Fitzgerald and getting ready for a trip to see my family!
♥...spent the afternoon up to my elbows in dirt (and am excited about growing tomatoes, strawberries, and cucumbers!)
♥...now has a porch full of posies as well as a patio packed with produce (points for alliteration, possibly?) :)
♥...is cleaning up after a lovely Mother's Day celebration at our house...and praying that Jesse and Jon don't blow the house up while installing a ceiling fan...
♥...is planning our anniversary trip! ♥
♥...is excited that Jesse will be home for dinner for the first time this week! Hmmmmmm...what to make, what to make... :)
♥...Congrats to all the CUI graduates! I'm there with you in heart! (and subbing for one of your moms so that she can be there!) :)
♥...surprise date night? what?!?! :)
♥...isn't sure what disturbed me more: Jesse's face as he snatched a slice of bread out of my hand, or realizing that I just bit into moldy bread.
♥...spent the day with my sister Kate at APU getting her all set for the fall. So excited that she'll be nearby!
♥...is marinating steak
♥...nothing like breakfast in bed with your husband and mimosas! ♥
♥...loves days like this
♥...has her new swimsuit, and new sleeping bag, and is all set for our anniversary trip!!!
♥...is tuckered out

June

♥...lost two games of monopoly to Jesse this weekend and is hiding the game board.
♥...is off celebrating my 1st anniversary with that handsome husband of mine. Back to the real world on June 9th!
♥...had an amazing trip with Jesse, and is happy to be home ♥
♥...is picking all the M&Ms out of the trailmix.
♥...just got a Senior Citizen offer from Sunset Magazine???
♥...is blog blog blogging
♥...Has a wonderful day ahead, but still doesn't want to get out of bed!
♥...is obsessed with lavender
♥...is laughing that Kate thought we wrote the "3 cornered hat" song when we were kids :)
♥...is spending the day in Hollywood with Kate
♥...first day of summer job!
♥...last day of VBS...then life can resume!
♥...is sick, but has the most wonderful husband in the world who draws baths for me while he cleans house! ♥ ♥ ♥

July

♥...is happy about so many things
♥...picked my very first tomato from my plant today :)
♥...is loving this Sunday! Just made lemonade with my handsome guy and now we're getting ready to sit down for an all american meal: grilled steak, corn on the cob, baked beans, and rolls :)
♥...is cleaning house. if you don't hear from me within 2 hours, assemble a rescue party!
♥...gave up on cleaning a while ago and blogged instead :-D
♥...migraine...

August

♥...is enjoying an afternoon of absolute r e s t
♥...my laptop is resting on a cookie cooling rack so it doesn't overheat and crash for the bazillionth time.
♥...just finished The Giver...and is loving the challenge of reading all the Newbery Awards!
♥...off to my Papa Don's 80th birthday party...after sleeping (?) on the floor of our church with high schoolers overnight.
♥...just woke up...wow, this morning feels like yesterday!
♥...can actually see the flames from our house. wow!
♥...is loved ♥
♥...is truly blessed by amazing friends!

September

♥...can add "Mrs. Bakery," "Mrs. Rudabager," "Mrs. Rule Breaker," and "Mrs. Rude Baker" to my list of name contortions. Yay for first grade subbing :)
♥...just dropped my cellphone in the bathtub. Ooops...
♥...is enjoying a quiet night at home
♥...is spending the afternoon with her sister ♥
♥...is feeling oh-so-productive in a not-priorities-first kind of way.
♥...loves, loves, loves her guy ♥
♥...loves cuddling up and watching Fiddler on the Roof
♥...is learning how to line dance :)
♥...totally loves that one of her first graders broke out singing the "Numa Numa" song during math time yesterday... :)
♥...my Papa Chuck is in the hospital...please pray for him!
♥...farewell, 22!
♥...Yay for free Dland entry on your birthday! :)
♥...is happy that Jesse had a great time at the dce conference, but is sooo ready for him to come home! hours away...

October

♥...is driving up to spend this weekend with family :)
♥..."Mrs. Brubaker, hugging you is like hugging a tree!"
♥...saying goodbye to my first graders today :( But thank you, Lord, for an amazing 7 weeks!
♥...is annoyed with her neighbor's alarm clock for going off for over an hour, but only mostly because it's rarely on beat with my music.
♥...is driving up to celebrate my Papa Chuck's 85th birthday!
♥...line dancing was cancelled tonight...all the sudden, there's a world of possibilties!
♥...hello, Autumn!
♥...is baking up a storm for tonight's Jr. High Halloween Party (and trying not to eat it all before it gets there!)
♥...oh. my. gosh. jr highers are crazy!!! but tonight was a lot of fun :)
♥...is excited about going to Oak Glen tomorrow with her handsome man!

November

♥...ohhh...beloved, restful Sundays!
♥...had breakfast in Derby, Kansas yeserday, lunch in Oklahoma City, got an ice cream cone in Shamrock, Texas, ate dinner in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and grabbed a midnight snack in Needles, Arizona. My, what a trip! But ohhhhhhh, it's sweet to be home :)
♥...saw a car dealership sign yesterday that said "If Your Not Buying Your Car Here Your Paying Too Much!" and it's been driving me CRAZY ever since.
♥...is itchin' to make something yummy in the kitchen. That boy will never want to leave home again! ♥
♥...sitting on hold and listening to Beatles music! Even though I'm calling with a complaint, Kitchenaid automatically gets a gold star
♥...pumpkin pie for breakfast
♥...ok...so, I was just at the grocery store, and as a man passed me in the aisle, he tipped his hat, smiled, and said "Have a happy Thanksgiving, Miss America."
♥...So much to be thankful for...Happy Thanksgiving!

December
♥...is preparing for tomorrow night's Advent by Candlelight (and having lots of fun) :)
♥...loves the man who spent his day doing laundry and yardwork ♥
♥...loves the ancient Thermador heater in our bathroom, and listening to big band Christmas music while getting ready in the morning
♥...loves decorating for Christmas with the one she loves!
♥...spent $40 at Macys today and saved $60. That is my kind of shopping!!
♥...date night! ♥
♥...grr...stupid strings popping when I've got two gigs this weekend!
♥...loves being heartily involved in two schools and being enveloped in their portrayals of the beautiful story of Advent
♥...just took a "half hour nap" that turned into two and a half hours!
♥...loves hosting the annual high school Christmas white elephant exchange/party at our house. Enough laughs for a week!
♥...gets to hide in the lectern and watch the elementary Christmas program from behind tonight (while dutifully shhh-ing kids and feeding lines) :)
♥...just spent 2.5 hours on a bus with 67 kids. And it was the driver's first day!
♥...baked cookies and pies by candlelight last night while good old Edison was working on the neighborhood power lines. 12 hours of no electricity was certainly an experience!
♥...totally just met Margaret O'Brien!
♥...laughs that the automated juror message warns that "the temperature in the courtroom can be unpredictable, so dress accordingly."
♥...is HAPPY!!! They let us all go home at 12 :) I can think of more exciting ways to spend Christmas break than in a Los Angeles courtroom jury box!
♥...what a beautiful testimony of God's grace--Papa Chuck became a Christian on Sunday, and went home to be with his Savior Creator yesterday. John 11:25-27

The Good News

On Sunday, December 20th, I played the harp at a reception in the lobby of the Grove Theatre in Upland. It was a lot of fun, including seeing Dale Kristien (one of the first Christine Daies) and Bill Hutton (the original Joseph of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat) perform their annual Christmas program, and getting to meet Margaret O'Brien (the sweet little thing from Meet Me In St. Louis).

When Jesse and I finally left, I saw that there were two missed calls--one from my mom and one from Ami--and a voicemail on my phone. I panicked. Being away from the phone for hours meant that I could have missed something very important. Worried about Papa, I called Ami right away.

"Hello my Sweet B, how are you doing?" Ami asked, cheerful as ever when she recognized my voice on the other end. I was taken aback. Cheerful?

I said that I was fine and that I was sorry that I had missed her call.

"I just wanted to call you with the good news," Ami went on.

Good news? What's good news? My papa is on his deathbed; the doctor said on Thursday that he would only last about four more days (and that was three days ago.) He hasn't even been conscious since then. What's good news???

Excitedly, Ami burst out, "Papa became a believer today!"

Whaaaaat? My papa?

She went on so joyously that we both burst into tears. It was miraculous news. Something I had almost given up on since Papa hadn't so much as opened his eyes for days.

Since I wasn't there, I'm pasting my dad's words here instead:

Sunday afternoon I went over to be with Papa and Ami, and Papa was sleeping soundly. It looked like it would be another day that I would not have opportunity to communicate much with Papa. However, Maureen encouraged me that I should try, since I may not have any opportunity in the future. So I wrote out (in large block letters) a five page simple presentation of the Gospel. I certainly would like to have said more, but I thought it best to keep it clear and short. I began by telling Dad how he has always impressed us with being able to do practically everything. However, there is one thing that he can't do, and that is go to Heaven by himself. For that he would need to trust Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I briefly explained what that meant and how Dad could trust Jesus to forgive his sins and to take him to heaven, where we could be together forever.

I must admit that I was prepared for disappointment. I thought that it was highly unlikely that Dad would have enough strength to read all five pages. I was also prepared for an unfavorable response, so I had prepared another page which simply stated, "I don't want to argue with you. I love you and respect you". (The last two verbs were underlined.) I was prepared to lay aside the Gospel presentation if I needed to resort to that page. I was so relieved that I never needed to show Dad that page.

I watched Dad as his eyes tracked each word on each page. He let me know when to turn the pages. When he finished reading I realized that I had only explained the Gospel and had not asked him to respond to that in any specific way, so I quickly wrote, "Does this sound like Good News to you?" I was amazed when he looked up at me and nodded his head yes. He then returned to sleep.

About ten minutes later Dad was rubbing his head as if in pain, so I wrote a note, "Are you in pain?" and then I woke him up. Again he read each word of the note, and then vigorously shook his head sideways, indicating "No". Dad's response to that second question gave me further reason to believe that he had understood the previous question and had given an authentic response.

I certainly would have loved to have had further conversation with my Dad about the hope of the resurrection and the joy of salvation, but I believe that Papa read enough to understand the Good News of Jesus Christ and that he genuinely indicated his desire for its benefits for himself. The very next day the nurses began administering morphine to Dad and that has brought a complete barrier to verbal/printed communication. (He still responds to touch and constantly wants to hold Mom's hand.) While I certainly would love to have further conversation with my Dad I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given each of us to pray for Papa and to show him love. I am most thankful for God's love in giving Papa the best news that he has ever heard. Rejoice with us.
Amazed by His Grace,
Mark

We are all so thankful!

I had to serve jury duty on Monday, and prayed that nothing would happen while I was unable to go up to Oxnard to be with family. God was gracious, and the entire room of nervous potential jurors was dismissed by noon, since there were no more cases for the day. That gave me time to go to Urgent Care to get my foot taken care of (I stepped on a piece of glass weeks ago, and though I pulled it out, the pain never went away. By Monday, I couldn't even walk without extreme pain. With everything else that's been going on, I had to time it perfectly so that I had a few days to recover before needing to hit harp pedals with my foot again!)

Jesse took me to Urgent care that afternoon, and I spent the rest of the day on the couch with ice, afraid to walk knowing that I could open the wound again (man, did that doctor dig around! PAIN!!!)

I was still in so much pain on Tuesday, that I sat back on the couch prepared to stay there all day. I called my mom to tell her about my foot, and she was very quiet.

"Beth, Papa doesn't have much time. I'm sitting here with end of life pamphlets, and he's got all the signs." We cried together on the phone, and as soon as we hung up, Jesse and I ran (or hobbled) all around the house grabbing whatever we might need to stay a few days.

When we got off the freeway, headed toward Papa and Ami's house, I called Mom to see if anyone was hungry and if we should grab food for everyone before coming over. Mom wept. We had missed his passing by about 20 minutes.

When we opened the door to Papa and Ami's house, everyone was sitting around his hospital bed. There were tears in everyone's eyes, but it was so peaceful in there. Jesse and I went around the room hugging our family members, and then I sat between Ami and my sisters. We cried together, held each other, and held Papa's hand, cherishing the warmth.

It would be three hours before the funeral home people came to get Papa's body, and until then, we really didn't move. We shared memories like we had on Thursday night, we commented on how peaceful he looked, thankful that he died holding Ami's hand. We read Scripture. We rejoiced that, like the thief on the cross, Papa was enjoying what we still can only imagine.

Isn't it funny to think about God's timing and how He works, sometimes? If I went through Papa and Ami's house right now, I know I could fill a large box to the brim with letters and cards, pictures and Sunday school crafts we have given to Papa over the years. Each one of us has worked hard at one time or another to give Papa practically a handmade book trying to witness to him (Dad has witnessed to Papa all his life through words, but my siblings and I had to write everything down because Papa became deaf.) Even though Papa refused to listen, he never took down what we put up. There are handwritten Bible verses that Jon and Laura put on his fridge, a painting by Kate, and a booklet that I made on his bookshelf. It wasn't for lack of our trying. God knew just how He wanted Papa's story to go.

On Christmas Eve, while I was playing prelude music at the Christmas Eve church service, it struck me that Papa, in his new, heavenly body, can hear music again. I don't believe that was he looking down from heaven and listening to me, but he can hear the angels in heaven, and how sweet their music must sound!

Thank You, Lord, for taking care of my papa, and for bringing him to You in Your own timing. Keep him in utter amazement of Your goodness, so that when we come join you, we can all marvel together!

There is Love

I got a phone call in the school office right before I sent the kids to lunch on Thursday.
It was Jesse. I'd left my phone in the car, and he needed to reach me.
Papa Chuck has started hemorrhaging and was losing so much blood that Mom and Dad had called us all to come to say goodbye.

As soon as the kids came back from lunch, I had them all sit on the carpet with me so I could let them know. Before I even began, one of the 4th graders noticed, "Mrs. Brubaker, you're eyes are all red." I said yes, and I told them that my Papa was very sick. I told them that I was going to drive up to see him as soon as school was over, and let them know that it's ok for me to be feeling sad right now. [I feel that too often, children don't know how to express feelings or react to situations because they don't see their adult role models show emotion. Hiding sadness or any other range of emotions stifles a child's ability to be able to deal with things of their own. Off my soapbox.]

They came up to me and gave me hugs. I asked them to remember my papa and our family in their prayers. David, one of the 5th graders, folded his hands and said "Let's pray for him right now!" The kids all bowed their heads, and David led us in a beautiful prayer for my papa. It was very sweet. I love these kids!

Jon met us at our house about the same time that I got home from school, and the three of us drove up to Oxnard together.

When we got to Papa and Ami's house, it was warm and cozy with soft lights and lots of blankets to keep Papa warm. Ami, Dad, Mom, Kate, Laura, Uncle Todd, and Uncle David were sitting in the living room where Papa's hospital bed is these days. Jon and Jesse and I joined the group, and we sat there enjoying Mom's shepherd pie for dinner.

There were tears intermittently through the night, but it was a happy night, a blessed night, where we were all together as a family, enjoying one another's company, reminiscing in favorite stories, catching up with each other, and being there for whenever Papa opened his eyes.

He is so weak right now. The amount of blood he has lost has left him with skin that is cold to the touch, and only enough energy to open his eyes and wave to people in the room before drifting back to sleep. But he was there, and we were there. A whole family. Treasured moments.




Ami's tender love for her best friend is so beautiful. March 2010 will be Papa and Ami's 60th wedding anniversary.


With everything that has been happening the last few weeks, Papa and Ami'se tree had been put up, but there were only two ornaments on it! Laura and I spent some time filling it out with the treasured ornaments that we remember as little children. I love trees that have stories behind each ornament!


Now Papa can see the Christmas tree from his bed, and Ami can enjoy its cheer while she sits next to him.

I read something tonight about what a sad Christmas this is, with all of the tragedies that are happening this season. I don't feel that way. God has blessed us in so many ways. He's blessed us with a family that has been so close, supporting each other in everything, rejoicing with each other in everything. He's blessed us with time that we didn't think we would have with Papa (I've driven up to Oxnard 5 times since September to "say goodbye.") He blessed us with the ability to be together as a family for another night. Blessed us with joy and comfort that evening. Blesses us continually with the fulfillment of his Promise, which is why we celebrate Christmas.

These days are hard, preparing daily to say goodbye, dealing with guilt about being unable to be by Papa's side every moment, praying desperately that he will see his need for his Savior. But they are not hopeless.

I've never felt that so much as I did on Thursday night, surrounded by the family I love.

50 Things to be Thankful for on My 50th Post :)

It's a tradition :) And who couldn't be thankful?
This year, I'm thankful for...

1♥ Jesse--for the way he cherishes me, puts up with my dorkiness, and makes daily life such a joy
2♥ my family--knowing that I can be near any one of them in 2 hours or less, for how involved we all are in each others' lives even though we're spread out.
3♥ my friends in Oxnard, my friends in Glendora, my friends spread across the world
4♥ the internet! Bringing people together :)
5♥ our college and career Bible study group at Hope
6♥ flowers
7♥ tea
8♥ strawberries
9♥ crafts
10♥ the church family in Oxnard that still holds me up
11♥ my dear old lady friends at Hope
12♥ music
13♥ trees
14♥ slippers
15♥ sleep
16♥ our beloved little rented home (and our landlords who have blessed us so much!)
17♥ aprons
18♥ laughter
19♥ pansies
20♥ herbs and spices
21♥ fireplaces
22♥ avocado trees
23♥ blogs that uplift me, make me laugh, and inspire me
24♥ teapots (they're so cute)
25♥ geraniums
26♥ hot chocolate
27♥ hugs
28♥ baby giggles
29♥ photos
30♥ cellphones
31♥ freedom (and the soldiers who protect it)
32♥ devotionals
34♥ my harp teacher, Suzy
35♥ friends who know what I'm talking about before I finish the sentence
36♥ the way my siblings make me laugh
37♥ strawberry yogurt
38♥ smiles
39♥ good books
40♥ ice cream
41♥ that Jesse doesn't take advantage of my extreme ticklishness (too much)
42♥ rainy days
43♥ that Jesse likes to eat as much as I like to bake (it's our type of happily ever after!)
44♥ rubber stamps
45♥the ocean
46♥ good movies
47♥ smoothies
48♥ playing board games
49♥ road trips
50♥ waking up in the morning curled up in arms of love