Meet Me In…Memphis

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres6 Comments

Good Morning Everyone!

My my my! 2012 is not coming to an end slowly, and the end of this eventful year has not become any less eventful! Part of that may have to do with my own flightiness…but nonetheless, beginning with Friday, it has been quite the journey to end the year!

Friday evening, in Dallas, Georgia, was a rainy and stormy and COLD one (for Georgia folk anyway – 34 degrees!! Brrr!)…Sweet Craig had left that morning for work, and I got home from work, and had my peanut butter for dinner, followed by a glass of wine, and decided to sit on our front porch with the iPad to enjoy the rain, and wait for my husband’s evening call before bed. This was around 8:45pm…and Craig did indeed call around 9pm…I grabbed my glass of wine and the iPad and went to go inside for the night…to find the door locked. Not wanting Craig to worry nor to embarrass myself, I asked my husband if I could call him right back, thinking maybe the neighbors had a spare key…So here I am in my pj’s and fuzzy socks, running next door in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain and cold weather…Long story short, there was no spare key…and I had to walk back to 116 Caitlin Court with my tail between my legs…I called Craig back and explained the situation…Now, I don’t know this for sure, but I am almost positive he rolled his eyes a little and sighed, “Oh my goodness, my silly wife…” but he didn’t let me hear it if he did. 🙂

He had me check a few windows that might be open…They weren’t…I called our sweet friend Julia, who lives semi-nearby, but she didn’t answer so I texted her. Finally, Craig broke down and called the locksmith. Meanwhile, Julia called back and sweetly asked if she could help. Knowing how reliable locksmiths are, and also that (by this time) it was 9:45/10pm and she has 3 small children at home and a husband who is also a pilot and away, I thanked her profusely for calling and offering to save me, but told her that the locksmith was already on the way. I called Craig back and sat down on the bench to wait the estimated 15 minutes for the locksmith to arrive to save the day…and (another long story short) during the 2 and a half more hours I waited outside with freezing wet feet and a HUGE spider climbing the wall next to me, I was reminded of the time in February when Craig and I went camping, in the snow…I was pretty much THAT cold. LUCKILY, around 12:30AM, the locksmith arrived to let me inside. It literally took him 2 seconds.

That little fiasco ALMOST foiled my plan for Saturday…

Poor Craig had to be up SUPER early the next morning to fly to Detroit, and he of course had waited up with me until I was safely inside the house before going to sleep. I felt horrible for him, but OH SO THANKFUL I have such an amazing husband – who saved me from the freezing cold and the scary spider even from hundreds of miles away! I was awoken the next morning by a text message from my husband letting me know he was safely in Detroit at the perfect time. 🙂 We had ‘planned’ that I would try and make it on a flight to Memphis, where Craig would be ending up for a long overnight…HOWEVER, the flights were full going to Memphis and back to Atlanta, as well…So we scratched that plan…and Craig knew how tired I was (we both were) from the night before…But all along I knew I wouldn’t let a full airplane stop me from seeing my husband on my day off! 🙂

Craig’s text came at 9:30am – just enough time for me to jump out of bed and quickly pack and get ready to be on my way by 10am! The drive from Dallas, GA to Memphis, TN is right around 6 hours, and Craig was scheduled to be at his hotel around 4pm. Of course, when I got in the car, Craig called me and I had to work hard to muffle all the driving sounds, since he thought I was sitting downstairs enjoying a ~~pot~~ cup of coffee with Miss Daisy…By the time I had passed safely through Birmingham, AL, Craig had told me the flight between his arrival in Memphis and right then had been canceled, and I felt I should probably let him in on my surprise:

Craig was SO excited! 🙂 I couldn’t wait to see him in just a few more hours…

Ha! I should have remembered that my husband is a PILOT who works for the AIRLINES and that anytime you PLAN anything, it never happens as you think it should! Right, Julia? 🙂

Craig’s first plane was delayed by maintenance, so I found a Target in Memphis and decided to go shopping for a bit…Craig texted to let me know they were on their way and I disappeared into the store for about an hour. After I got back out to the car, thinking it would be time to go and pick him up at the airport in about a half hour, I got another text from Craig…there was an issue AGAIN and they couldn’t take-off…AAHH! Very frustrating and so much for newlywed romance, huh? 🙂

So…I visited Best Buy since my phone was close to dying at this point and I didn’t have a car charger…(We do now!) Then, I found a movie theater, rather close to the airport – and not in a desirable part of Memphis… – and by this time, Craig reminded me of his flight number and said they had gotten a NEW airplane, and were about to take off.

Well, I looked down at the clock in my car. 6:30pm. And I walked up to the ticket counter at the movie theater, and saw that “This Is 40” began at 7:05pm. Perfect! By the time the movie ends, Craig will be here and I will have killed 2 hours! I bought my small popcorn and small Diet Coke (STAPLES for a movie, in my opinion), and went into the theater…to find the movie halfway over… What???

OH YEAH! Memphis is in the Central time zone…and the clock in my car is on the Eastern time zone. Duh.

So, I watched the end of “This Is 40″…and then, when the movie was over, I stretched my legs in the lobby and came back to watch the beginning of the movie. About halfway through, Craig FINALLY texted to say they had safely arrived in Memphis! So I left to head to the airport to pick him up! I’m not sure what happens in the MIDDLE of “This Is 40”, but I enjoyed the beginning and the end…even in reverse order.

I picked up my husband and it was WONDERFUL to be able to spend an evening with him in the middle of a 4-Day trip!! (Even though, after we ate dinner, we were both sleeping like babies within minutes!) I took Craig back to the airport at 7am, and began my drive BACK to Dallas. My mother asked me if it was worth 12 hours of driving to be able to spend even less than that with my husband, and it absolutely was! I would have driven, flown or swam any number of miles to be able to spend any amount of time with him at all.

And so, as I await his arrival back home this afternoon, I wish all of you a very Happy New Year! We are going to celebrate with champagne, black-eyed peas and collard greens, and Mass on January 1st. I cannot wait! I can honestly say that 2012 has been the absolute best year of my life, and according to a recent tweet by my husband, he feels the same:

I have the very best husband in the whole world, and am blown away each day by how God has truly blessed us in 2012!We can only imagine what He has in store for us in 2013! We thank all of you for making this year special, and wish you all the best in 2013!

Love Love!

xoxo,
Pier & Craig

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Christmas, Woodworking, and Fondue!!

December 29, 2012December 29, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Once more I find myself on the road again. Ironically I am writing from Wisconsin again, Madison this time, and again the Vikes are prepping for another game against the Packers! Pier and I had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and hope that all of you did as well. Our first Christmas together was absolutely wonderful. We started Christmas day off with Mass at midnight and it was great to hear and sing the Christmas hymns with my wife by my side! Then in the morning we woke and enjoyed our time together and to share our gifts with each other. I could have not asked for any better gifts than what Pier gave me. She knows me so well that she found the perfect gift for me, a painted picture of several breeds of cattle on it! Now it may not sound exciting but anyone that knows me knows how I love anything to do with farming. I love it and we have the perfect spot for it in our living room! Anyone that knows Pier knows how she loves fashion and she had been ~~hinting~~ mentioning how she would like a comfortable flat and that she had researched the perfect ones! She knew I would key in on the research that she did and that I would probably remember exactly what she wants. Well she was right! I got her the pair that she had been looking at, a pair of FSNY flats. Now the only way I could remember the initials was to say Fox Sports News Yes because I had no clue what it stood for. Although after a little research I discovered that it stands for French Sole New York. Now mind you I was not up to the task of picking and buying a pair of shoes since there are so many variables… size, shape, color, texture, design, etc. So I had to be creative. I ended up printing out the FSNY logo and I picked a pair that I thought she would like and I printed them out on paper. I found a shoe box and I placed the label on the box and then placed the paper cut outs in the box and wrapped it up. Needless to say she loved it and I also picked out the exact pair that she ended up getting!

We also celebrated Christmas with our friends Josh and Julia. On Wednesday night we headed up to the Melting Pot and enjoyed a long fondue dinner! It was delicious. It was my first time to eat fondue and I must say Craig and Pier that it is a perfect dinner to have great food and great conversation. I look forward to another visit in the future!

Now comes the wood technical part…. 🙂

In the middle of all this I have found some time to work down in the shop on Pier’s wedding gift. I must say it is coming along quite well. This past week I got the wood dimensioned out to the correct thickness and out to a rough size. To do this I first laid out wood and I drew out the individual pieces on the boards so I would know where to cut each piece from. Then I used a jig to flatten the board in my planer.

I place the wood on the jig and slide the adjustable supports up to support the board and then slide it through the planer multiple times and it creates a flat top.

Then I can flip the board over and plane it to the correct thickness. Then I joint an edge with another created jig, to create a 90 degree angle to the top and bottom. That takes care of 3 sides (top bottom and side) and the 4th side will be finished in the next step when I run it through the table saw to rip the stock to a workable width. Those will eventually be glued up to create the top and bottom of the cabinet piece.

: Planed and flat on top

So now I have 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ thick square pieces of stock that are ready to be glued or cut into final dimensions.

This past week has been busy and it does not look like it will be slowing down in the near future with our plans of traveling to Rome, Italy in early February. We both are excited to travel and see all the sites Rome has to offer! Happy New Year to everyone!! Craig and Pier

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Blessings Through Raindrops

December 24, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Yesterday morning I was fortunate enough to enjoy my morning coffee on our back deck, looking out into the distant hills and enjoying the crisp Georgia breeze. While I sipped my coffee, I prayed the same prayer Craig and I have been diligently praying for what seems like forever…and then glanced down to notice that what had once looked like tree-esque weeds, now were almost actual mini pine trees…Which reminded me that God provides. Always. Matthew 6:25-34 comes to mind and is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.

And speaking of blessings in places you don’t expect, if you know THIS Newlywed Lefebvre, you know how much I despise dedicated exercise. I love to be outside hiking, playing ball, enjoying nature, swimming, but when it comes to saying, “Ok, time to exercise for 30 minutes,” typically, I would rather be told I would be denied food for a week. HOWEVER, Craig and I decided to start running together in the mornings during the week about a week ago and we have been pretty good about keeping it up, I’m even running on my own when he’s on the road. Why and how is this a blessing you might ask? Well, first, it’s more time we get to spend together. The extra hour in the mornings before I head off to the office have now become something we actually look forward to, and in ADDITION, we are doing something beneficial for ourselves! It also makes ME thankful for modern science…as we discovered one early morning last week, without my asthma inhaler and knee brace, running is…well…not a blessing! 😉

Craig called this morning to tell me he was heading out from Oklahoma City on the last leg of his trip right as I was using my inhaler and heading out the door for my run…he warned me about the rain…and about halfway into my run, it started POURING…and I was drenched! I considered picking up the pace and running straight back to the house, but then I looked up at the sky and I thought about those little pine trees in our backyard…and how God was providing for them everything they needed to grow and mature…and I thanked God for the rain and continued the final 15 minutes soaking wet! It helped to reiterate to me that GOD WILL PROVIDE for Craig and I, and we will keep praying and thanking Him for all we already have. We are so blessed.

“Blessings” by Laura Story

On a side note, we have been promising a picture of the dresser we refinished… This dresser is Stickley and when I found it a few years ago at the antique store it was stenciled in horrid varying shades of green and red and yellow…Hideous barely begins to describe it. People would see it in my old condo and comment on its ugliness! I assured them of its potential! If you have never heard of Stickley furniture, read about it here. The antique store where I found it didn’t know what it was either, and allowed me to take it off of their hands for a mere $200!!

After removing the horrible paint and sanding down the surface, we stained it a bluish grey and replaced all the knobs with clear glass ones:

What do you think? 🙂

Well, y’all, Happy Christmas Eve! I need to finish laundry so when my better half is home in a few hours we will have something to wear to this evening’s soirée, and finish getting ready myself! We wish you all the Merriest of Christmases! May God rain down His blessings on you all!

Much Love,

Pier & Craig

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A Little Bit Of This…

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres5 Comments

My, my, my…only SIX more days until Christmas! Are all of you ready? Have you done all of your shopping? I’m happy (and relieved) to note that Craig and I are DONE! Now for me to wrap everything…

The past week has been a BUSY one, and I don’t know that things are going to slow down anytime soon! I went to a ‘Holiday Couples’ Shower’ for our dear friends Ashley & J.W. (sadly without my better half – Boo!!!!!!!), but I did get to enjoy a girls’ sing-along car ride to the shower and back with one of my faves, Julia! There’s nothing like singing at the top of your lungs to every song you know to pass the time on a long road trip!

Such a fun shower! And if you recognize the location, it’s because once again, it was hosted by another couple we absolutely adore: Lauren & Randall.

After the shower and our sing-a-long ride back to Northwestern Georgia, Julia and I met up with Craig and Julia’s hubs Josh & their children for dinner. 🙂 Always a great time with all of our special friends – Craig and I are so blessed to have such a great group of TRUE friends surrounding us!

On Monday, I FINALLY got my wedding bands back from the ~~slowest man on earth~~ jewelry designer! Our design turned out just BEAUTIFUL and I think the setting will be much stronger!

I am absolutely ECSTATIC to have my wedding bands displayed proudly on my finger once again! 🙂

Last night, C & I were up until 1:30am making a COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH White Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake (completely gluten-free, as well!)…We even had to make the GRAHAM CRACKERS themselves for the crust, since we couldn’t find any sans gluten. Needless to say, even the cheesecake hater Craig thought it was delicious!

Tonight, we’ll be making Christmas cookies! 🙂 And when I detail that experience, you’ll have to remind me to show you a picture of the Peppermint Plate we made last night! So cute! (And yes, it’s the same thing you’ve seen all over Pinterest!)

Oh, and how could I have forgotten!?!?! Craig booked our hotel for our trip to Rome in February!! You’ll have to ask my sweet husband all about it! 🙂 We are SO excited about our upcoming vacation!!!

Y’all have a great evening! Maybe I can sneak in a short nap at the office before my long drive home?? 🙂

XOXO

Pier & Craig

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The Trouble With Wednesday

December 13, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Today is Wednesday, and for me, Wednesdays are pretty much the saddest day of the week. Yep, I dread Wednesday even more than Monday! The reason? Well, Craig’s trips for work are usually Wednesday through Saturday, and Wednesday is the morning I have to say goodbye to my husband for nearly four days a week, every week. It’s tough. Even more so than you may think. Or you may think it only gets easier as time goes on (as both Craig & I figured it would). But for us, it is harder to say goodbye every Wednesday. Even with phone calls, FaceTime, texting and emails, it is still no fun to bid my husband farewell for four days at a time.

So since today is Wednesday, you would be right in thinking it has been a tough one for me. But luckily, I had my listening ears on when God pointed me in the direction of my now husband… Look what I came home to this evening!

AND MY COFFEE FOR TOMORROW READY TO GO!

Thank you to my sweet and wonderful husband for such an amazing and unexpected surprise!
Thank you, God, for the husband you chose for me, who is beyond my wildest dreams!

Good night everyone! Keep my sweet Craig in your prayers as he travels this week!

Xoxo,
Pier

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Cooking Gluten-Free With The Newlywed Lefebvres

December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Happy Monday Everyone!

I’m not sure if everyone is aware of this or not, but one of our favorite activities is cooking together. We always have a really great time, and usually make every single recipe we attempt our own…Mostly because we have similar tastes in food, and because I can’t have gluten.

Did you know you can re-create almost anything you’d like in a gluten-free (and absolutely DELICIOUS) version? Here is our most recent endeavor:

Gluten-Free Italian Asiago Meatballs Over Angel Hair with Pier’s Pink Sauce

Begin by boiling a VERY WELL-SALTED pot of water. Once boiling, add entire box of gluten-free angel hair pasta. When the noodles have completed cooking, drain but DO NOT RINSE, and set aside.

Meatballs:

1 lb EACH of Italian Sausage & Ground Beef

1 Large Egg, beaten well

1 Heaping Tablespoon of White Rice Flour

To Taste:

Finely Shredded Asiago Cheese

Parsley

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl very well with your hands. Make meatballs and set aside on plate. Add enough EVOO to a large skillet or sauce pan to cover the bottom. Heat on stove on HIGH. When oil is hot, add meatballs. Rotate until COMPLETELY done. This could take about 10 minutes. Constantly rotate until done. Remove from heat.

Pier’s Pink Sauce

1 Jar of Alfredo Sauce – nothing fancy, just plain is best.

1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Finely Shredded Fresh Asiago Cheese

Heat entire jar of plain alfredo sauce on the stove over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Add 1/2 cheese. When melted, add the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. When melted and well-combined, add entire can of DRAINED diced tomatoes. Stir well.

Return drained angel hair cooked noodles to the pot they were cooked in, and pour Pier’s Pink Sauce on top. Mix and combine well.

Serve generous helping on a plate and add as meatballs on top.

ENJOY!!!!

I wish we had taken a picture of the finished product…But seriously, by the time either of us thought about it, we were both halfway through our dinners! 🙂 So delicious and relatively easy! I urge all of you to try this! If you aren’t allergic or intolerant to gluten (or maybe you’re allergic to soy instead like my father), just replace the gluten-free white rice flour with regular AP flour and you’re good to go!

Stay tuned for our next gluten-free Newlywed Lefebvre Creation: Buttermilk Fried Chicken!!! Yum!

Love To All of You!

Pier & Craig

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Hello & Ho Ho Ho

December 7, 2012December 7, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Hey there and Happppppy Friday!

Our short hiatus this past week from the blog doesn’t mean we haven’t been moving at cheetah pace – per usual! 🙂 Between Christmas shopping, work, injury, appointments, and (the most wonderful reason for hustle and bustle of all) friends and family, we haven’t sat down to rest once.

Sunday Craig and I went out in search of this year’s Christmas tree and decorations for our home! I think we did a pretty darn beautimaus job too – especially for newlywed first-time whole home decorators! 🙂 You can see for yourself here on our Shutterfly site! But here are a few previews:

Craig chose the wreath and I made the bow. Perfect Collaboration! 🙂

We Need a Nativity Scene – The Holy Family Is Missing! 😉 Good thing we have the angel and wise men to remind us of the TRUE reason for the season for the moment!

See, I think we did pretty well!! 🙂

Monday morning my right shoulder and neck began to hurt…No matter the amount of Tylenol and Aleve I took, nothing stopped the pain…So when I got home, my dear husband doctored me up with a heated rice bag…and I began to feel a little bit better. So much so that I slept with the rice bag on my neck/shoulder all night long.

And then I woke up at 4am and tried to roll over…

And I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow. Literally.

Talk about PAIN!!!! It came close to surpassing the pain of my skiing/knee injury last year!! Craig took me to the chiropractor, but we still have no idea of the cause! And I’m still walking around with my head tilted, but thank goodness the pain has subsided somewhat!! I was literally boo-hooing because of the pain– which I think frightened my husband, because if you know me, I am NOT a crier unless it’s something serious!

Gladly, the worst has past. For the most part, I’m able to walk upright as of today! 🙂 Thank you, God! Prayer is amazing!!!

And now, back to work for another hour before I head off to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception! I’m trying out St. Ann’s in Marietta/Roswell, Georgia this evening so I am able to make the Mass, since I work tomorrow. I’m looking forward to sharing an hour with the Lord, and also seeing the inside of a church I have been driving past for years now and have never entered. I’ve heard it’s beautiful!

My sweet Craig gets back home tomorrow evening and then it’s time for Christmas gift shopping! What’s on your wish list???

xoxo,

Pier & Craig