Date Night Recap 3/27/12: Andiamo's Wine Dinner

What a fun date the other night for Date Night -- the idea courtesy of my father-in-law, Rich Crowley! Mark and I went to a Wine Dinner at Andiamo Ristorante, where I had rabbit for the first time! I enjoyed it, but I don't think Mark was a big fan (of the rabbit). The four-course dinner was led by an Italian gentleman who was a wine sommelier, so that was neat, too. He gave some good background and explanations of the wines. I believe these wine dinners are monthly, so you should definitely check them out! At $45 pp, it wasn't as expensive as most wine dinners normally are, but it is more than we usually like to spend on Date Night. Regardless, what a fun date. When it involves wine (and it usually does), it always is! :)

Oct. 10, 2008; Dad's and Debbie's wedding

Date Night recap 3/20/12

So last week's Date Night was Mark's, and here were the evening's events:

1. Hemingway Restaurant & Bar, 500 Cypress Creek Road, Suite 170, Cedar Park, Texas 78613
We headed out a little bit later than usual as Mark was getting ready to go out of town for work, so he worked late. We grabbed dinner at this new place, which is just down the road from us. Try their squash with dill -- delish! I also had their mussels, which were pretty good but there weren't enough to fill me up. I ordered the squash for dessert, ha! So healthy of me. Cheap bottles of wine here!

2. The Dig Pub, 401 Cypress Creek Road, Suite 600, Cedar Park, TX 78613
We headed across the street from where we had dinner to this bar, which is always pretty swinging every time we pass by. After having been Cedar Park residents for about three years now, we figured we should finally check it out! I thought it was going to have the atmosphere of a dive bar inside, but it was much different than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised! It was pretty nice and spacy inside. It had a nice bar area then another area that had a stage where some amateur comedians were taking the stage. I ordered a glass of rosé and we played a game of darts while we listened to the comedians. We eventually grabbed a seat near the front of the room close to the stage. While we didn't exactly have the same sense of humor as some of the gentlemen who were showcasing their talent, it was entertaining, and I had a good time. I definitely think we'll be back!

June 13, 2009

Litany of St. Joseph

On today, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us ask for St. Joseph's intercession in asking for blessings upon our marriages, for husbands and wives everywhere, that we may all be given the grace to continually grow together in holiness and ever more reflect the love of Christ for His Church ...

Litany of St. Joseph
Taken from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

Lord, have mercy...Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy...Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy...Lord, have mercy

God our Father in heaven...have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world...have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit...have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God...have mercy on us

Holy Mary...pray for us
St. Joseph...pray for us
Noble son of the House of David...pray for us
Light of patriarchs...pray for us
Husband of the Mother of God...pray for us
Guardian of the Virgin...pray for us
Foster father of the Son of God...pray for us
Faithful guardian of Christ...pray for us
Head of the Holy Family...pray for us
Joseph, chaste and just...pray for us
Joseph, prudent and brave...pray for us
Joseph, obedient and loyal...pray for us
Pattern of patience...pray for us
Lover of poverty...pray for us
Model of workers...pray for us
Example to parents...pray for us
Guardian of virgins...pray for us
Pillar of family life...pray for us
Comfort of the troubled...pray for us
Hope of the sick...pray for us
Patron of the dying...pray for us
Terror of evil spirits...pray for us
Protector of the Church...pray for us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world...have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world...have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world...have mercy on us

God made him master of his household.
And put him in charge of all that he owned.

Let us pray. Almighty God, in your infinite wisdom and love you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary, the mother of your Son. As we enjoy his protection on earth may we have the help of his prayers in heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

August 2008

What I loved in 2011

30 days of gifts | babies | Bahamas | beaches | big yellow sun hat | blessings | blogs | Blondie | brunch | cappuccinos | Coach purse | cookbook club | cooking | cruising | dancing | date nights | encouragement | engagements | entertaining | family | feeding exotic animals | fireplaces | friends | Ft. Lauderdale | gardening | God | godchildren | happy hours | hot tub | hubby | hugs | kisses | Lady Gaga concert | laughs | littleness | long hair | love | Mark | marriage | mother and daughters weekend retreat | movie nights | mussels | neighbors | needing to go to sleep | New York at Christmastime | nieces | parties | patio | podcasts | prayers | rooftop bars | Sarah's Hope | sequin dresses | smiles | St. Maarten | St. Thomas | scuba diving | support | tiredness | travels | Vegas | vino | weddings | working out

Cruise, July 2011

Introduction to Natural Family Planning...Which method is right for you?

Want to start practicing Natural Family Planning but don't know which of the three methods would be best for you? Avoid hours of research and attend an evening of introductions as the three different methods of Natural Family Planning -- Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System, Sympto-Thermal Method and Billings Ovulation Method -- are introduced at St. John Neumann parish! I'm helping plan this event with our Culture of Life Committee. We'll have teachers from these three methods give a brief overview of how their method works, and they'll be available for questions and with an upcoming schedule of classes that will be offered throughout the coming year at SJN.

The event is Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the St. Timothy Room of SJN. All diocesan-approved methods will be available to discuss this great gift from the Church. Come see which method will work for you and your marriage! RSVP here.

Not yet married and are wondering why you should come to this event? Engaged couples can start taking classes at any point before marriage, but we usually recommend that you start taking classes and charting at least four to six months before you get married. NFP isn’t just Catholic birth control either – it offers a great overall picture of a woman’s health AND her fertility. It’s not just for married women and not just for women in their prime childbearing years. NFP charts in the hands of a physician who knows what he’s looking at are an incomparable tool to help diagnose many health issues. Many single women have taken an NFP class simply to gain more knowledge about their own body! There's no such thing as starting too early.

If you're already practicing NFP and are happy with which method you've chosen, please attend to support our event and Natural Family Planning awareness campaign and / or invite your friends to help us spread the word!

5455 Bee Cave Rd.
Austin, TX

Books I'd like to read

I'm not a big book reader these days, but whenever I run across a title or review that looks worth my while, I make a note of it. Books on marriage that I'd like to skim through sooner rather than later include:

1. "The 100 Day Promise: Radically Transforming your Marriage by Living with Complete Concern for your Spouse's Happiness" by Brian King
   See what happens when a regular husband and father of four promises to totally love and serve his wife for 100 days. What will happen to him, his wife and their relationship? Is it really worth the effort? More than just just hearing marriage platitudes, this book shows the reality of the stresses family life can bring and demonstrates the power of trusting someone enough to love them completely.
2. "Married Saints and Blesseds Through the Centuries" by Ferdinand Holbock
   Countless saints have been priests or religious, living out lives of penance and sacrifice for the good of the Church. But many Catholics don't realize that married couples are called to holiness as well. Fr. Holböck's tells the inspiring stories of over 200 married saints and blesseds from the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to Margaret of Scotland, King Louis of France, Thomas More and modern examples like Gianna Molla and Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The example of these holy men and women is essential to living a truly Catholic married life.
3. "Designing Your Dream Husband: How to Build Your Husband Up and Release Him to His Full Potential" by Amie Dockery
   God has given women a gift that is so woven into their nature that they approach everything—from homes to husbands—with the thought, “Wow, I could do great things with that!” To see potential is a great good, but the downside is the propensity to compare reality with the expectation. This is especially harmful in marriage if a woman tries to “show” her husband his potential in all the wrong ways, such as comparison or suggestions for change. So how does a wife encourage her husband to become what God has placed within him to be? It requires an understanding of her own need for repentance and restoration, as well as working with the right team and the right tools. The right team is God as architect, Jesus as supplier and the Holy Spirit as builder. The right tools include prayer, declaration and action that bring restoration and that also reveal her own need to change. Each chapter will explore a case study of a biblical character’s life in the areas of “Making the Mantle”--an action that gained him authority, “Missing the Mantle”--an area of vulnerability, and “Modeling the Mantle”—the most memorable moment this person wore the mantle. There will also be a pattern for prayer--questions from which a woman can build the blueprint for repentance, restoration and declaration. There will also be application in the form of “Putting Your Words to Work”—a written vision statement or declaration, and “Seal it with a Gift”—practical ways to gently yet generously introduce revelation of a husband’s skills and abilities through a tangible gift.
4. "The Respect Dare" by Nina Roesner
   Ephesians 5:33 in the Bible says that wives shall always respect their husbands, but most women struggle with this concept. Are you one of them? The truth is that women get married with dreams, hopes and aspirations that are often never fulfilled. More than half of marriages end in divorce in the United States, and many women that stay married are unhappy. "The Respect Dare" is a 40-day devotional guide that will take away the mystery that is keeping you from speaking the language of respect with your husband. It provides real life examples from women who have developed closer relationships with God and their husbands. In it, you will learn how to build confidence, methods to positively handle conflicts, keys to better communication, how to develop a more intimate connection with your spouse, ways to deepen your relationship with God and much more!
5. "The Love Dare Day by Day: A Year of Devotions for Couples" by Alex Kendrick
    "The Love Dare Day by Day" encourages and challenges couples toward new steps in faith and love with 365 marital encouragements, reminders and action points worth repeating year after year.Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, "The Love Dare Day by Day" is a journey you need to take. It’s time to learn the keys to finding true intimacy.
   
6. "The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional" by Gary Chapman
   Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? He sends you flowers when what you really want is time to talk. She gives you a hug when what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn’t love—it’s your love language. The Love Languages Devotional is your daily guide to how to express heartfelt love to your loved one.

Have you read any of these? Any sound interesting to you?

Aug. 17, 2008 at the Iguana Grill in Austin

To Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Rose!

Congrats to friends Sarah and Jimmy Rose, who tied the knot Oct. 1! They were married at St. Thomas More Catholic Church just this last weekend, and they seemed deliciously happy. Sarah was an Osman, and those weddings are always fun because you get to see folks you haven't seen in a while -- like the Scaperlandas! It was awesome to see Mary and Chris and meet their precious daughter. I haven't seen either of them since they moved away a few years ago. In any case, Sarah and Jimmy are a fun couple to know, and I'm so happy for them as they start their married life together. May you experience abundant bliss with each passing year! Be blessed, friends.

Sarah and Jimmy Rose; Oct. 1, 2011