The Burger Queen

My husband jokingly calls me the "Burger Queen". We both enjoy a good burger. I think I make pretty good burgers, and he wholeheartedly agrees. We love to try burger joints when we are out to find what we feel is the very best burger. When we were on our honeymoon, we tried a different local burger joint at lunch every day. We finally decided that the one we tried on the last day was the best. Too bad I don't remember the name of that place.

So here for your enjoyment are the few burgers we enjoy the most:)

• Best fast-food burger-Hardee's wins this one. They have some great burgers! Unlike most fast food places, the burger is the main feature. Plus, where else can you get a $6 burger for like 4 bucks?
• Best burger from a chain restaurant-Five Guys gets a standing ovation for this category!! My husband really liked Red Robin's burgers and we tried them a couple times. I felt that they were just the same frozen meat patty that I could get anywhere else. They just had fancy toppings to make you feel like you were experiencing something new each time. Five Guys is all about the burger. It is fresh...you can watch them make it in front of you. It is made on a griddle for those crispy edges...mmm. Plus it is served in a greasy paper bag filled with enough fresh-made fries to feed a family of 4. 
• Best burger from a local burger joint-Joe Mama's in Millbrook is our go-to place for a big burger that never fails at being delicious. Their burgers are very reasonably priced and they are made fresh, again on a griddle, right when you order them. I have never experienced a bad burger from there. 

My Joe Mama's burger from our last visit...mmmmm

• The best burger at my house-This is a top secret recipe...I can't believe that I am willing to share it, but here goes. First, I only make burgers on our George Foreman grill. They are just perfect. I have tried all of the fancy burger recipes, with mix-ins, and special ingredients, and they pale in comparison to the perfect burger that I will make for you if you ever stop by my house. First, start with really fresh ground beef. The fresher the better. If you have a meat counter at your local grocer, then ask for some fresh meat instead of the packaged ground meats in the refrigerated case. Also, choose a ground beef that still has some fat in it. The lean meats will make you feel better about yourself, but they don't make a great burger. Once you are ready to get started, divide your meat into1/4 lb. chunks. As you form each chunk, try not to handle it too much. The more you mess with it, the more tough your burgers will become. Make sure they are pretty big. I try to make mine bigger than my palm. Then set the burgers aside and get the grill nice and hot. While you wait for the grill to warm, get the buns ready. Butter the buns and lightly toast them in a skillet. Set those aside and then season your patties with the "holy trinity" (Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder). Be sure to season both sides. place them on the grill and cook to desired temperature. If you are using ground meat, you want to cook it to well done (about 160 degrees); if you ground your own meat, then you can cook it to medium-well. Top with cheese and whatever toppings you like. I prefer lettuce, onion, and mayo. These have never let me down. My husband prefers them to anything we eat at restaurants...at least that is what he tells me.

I hope that this inspires you to give a burger a try! What is your favorite burger? Burger joint? Burger topping? 

Call me master

Well, I am officially working on my master's degree again. I started a few years back, but didn't finish. Now I have a great opportunity to finish what I started. I have 4 or 5 classes and a thesis to write and I will be finished. I am really, really excited about finishing, but not about the workload. It seems like an insurmountable task right now, but I know if I really buckle down and get moving I can do it.

I am not getting my degree because I feel like I need more education, it is simply so that people will call me master....they will, right?

Wish me luck and send up a prayer for me! I am gonna need it.

My CRAZY dreams!

I have the most vivid and unusual dreams! Recently they have been nothing short of bizarre! Saturday I woke up and had to share my dream with my husband immediately because it was absurd. Here is a short synopsis of what occurred:

 I was in my old neighborhood (aka, the ghetto) and my husband and I were visiting my mom. We were about to go into her house when 2 ladies from my home church came to bring me some candy. Not ordinary candy, but giant stacks of gummy candies. There were pink and yellow ones and they had made 1 of the stacks to look like Indiana and one of them to look like Alabama. I remember tasting the pink one, because it was pink grapefruit flavored! Yum! Then we went out of the building to where the costume party was about to begin! There was a dumpster and sitting in front of it was my brother-in-law dressed as King Triton from the Little Mermaid. He was holding a GINORMOUS trident...about the size of a full grown oak tree. My sister-in-law was there as well and she was dressed as the Little Mermaid. She was being painted when I first saw her. I asked her why she chose to be the Little Mermaid and she said that she had taken a quiz to see what character was right for her...the quiz said Ariel, so she was the Little Mermaid. 


My husband and I then turned our attention to a lady who was sitting at a table with a big delicious looking hamburger in front of her. She was at some kind of sign in table and had lists in front of her. But she was not nice at all! She was so mad at my husband because he apparently had been arguing with me and she didn't think it was right. So she said that he was mean for being mean to me. Then she said that she couldn't believe that a man who was as mean as him deserved the burger that she had for him. She said that the burger was special and that it had been prepared for him because he was a fan of those burgers. She eventually gave it to him along with another special treat. From behind her table she pulled a GIGANTIC skeleton arm. It was taller than me and it was very light weight. It had a black hood that looked like a trash bag on it. I asked what it was and the lady explained that you waved it over your head when the time was right. 

We never made it to the costume party. I suddenly woke up. I have no idea where this dream came from! I don't usually remember them in this great of detail. I wish I believed in dream interpretation...although I think I may be afraid to know what this one means!

one of THOSE days

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind that begins with really good intentions, and somewhere around mid-morning everything falls apart. I had one of those days today. I woke up in a bad mood because the alarm went off early. A whole 5 minutes, at least! (of course, the reason for the early wake-up was because I have been running late the past few days:)

Then the morning ran rather smoothly until I snagged my pantyhose and had change at the last minute. I think that is what started the bad morning. Anytime you have to stuff yourself into pantyhose more than once in a day makes it a bad day. Then I was still late leaving. When I arrived at school, I dropped my lunch:( I honestly thought about jumping up and down on my lunch box and screaming, but there were students and parents everywhere, so that was not the best option.

I had forgotten all about dropping my lunch until snack time, when I opened my lunch and found that my yogurt had exploded upon hitting the ground and now everything was covered in pink raspberry yogurt. As I was wiping off the pink gelatinous goo from my banana, string cheese, I once again thought about just throwing the whole thing in the trashcan and setting it on fire.

From there, my day didn't get worse, it just leveled off. I felt that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Then as I was gathering all my things to come home, I realized that no matter how bad my circumstances are, I can still choose my attitude toward them. I may not have stomped my feet and had a fit, but I certainly was having one on the inside. I chose the wrong attitude today.

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day...and the alarm won't be set...and thankfully we are out of yogurt!

10 things I love about my guy

I was 29 when I got married. I remember thinking that I would NEVER get married. I remember being reminded that I would NEVER get married. When I was a teenager, I remember making a list of the things I wanted in a future mate. I wanted a Christian man, who could fix things, was handsome, a leader in our home, someone who would pray with me and for me, someone who would lead our family in devotions, and a hard-worker. As the years passed and I still remained unmarried, I thought that I would never get a husband like that.  I can remember crossing things off this list as I got older. Finally, all that remained was a Christian who could fix things (I break things A LOT). When God provided my husband, He gave me all that I wanted and so much more. Recently, through my Sunday school class and our devotions in the evening, I have been thinking about these little things that make me love this man so much. Here is a short list of some of the ways God blesses me through my husband

• He takes out the trash. HE TAKES OUT THE TRASH!! I hate trash. 
• He leaves a light on for me. At night when we are ready to go to bed, he goes ahead of me and turns on a small light in the bedroom so I don't have to go into the dark room. Then he goes back out and turns off the other lights. 
• He has weapons. I hated that my husband had random weapons when we first got married. But, when things go bump in the night, I am thankful for my ax-wielding-crazy-man husband. 
• He makes my lunch. During the week, I get up and take a shower and he makes our lunches for work. Sometimes he even slips in a sweet note:-)
• He gets me emergency chocolate. Every girl has a moment when talking can't solve a problem like chocolate can. About 2 weeks after I moved here, I had a MELTDOWN. I missed my friends, my dog, my family, my freedom, EVERYTHING. I was in bed crying and whining. He wanted to talk and comfort me. I told him, "I think we are gonna need some chocolate." He left and returned a few minutes later with all that he could find in the house, which wasn't much. Since that meltdown, I can always open my nightstand and find a stash of emergency chocolate that he has hidden there. 
• He carries the heavy stuff. Groceries, luggage, furniture, you name it, he carries it. Not that I can't, but he chooses to do it for me. 
• He takes care of our finances. I totally lucked out! He takes care of everything. He makes sure we have some money saved for emergencies and he is planning for our future. He even budgets for fun things. 
• He fixes my stuff without complaining. As I mentioned before, I break things all too often. He does everything in his power to fix them and he doesn't make fun of me (usually) for breaking something. 
• He takes care of the gross stuff. Goo in the sinks, stopped up toilet, clogged drains, he handles them. 
• He carries my Bible to church. This is so small and seemingly insignificant, but Sunday mornings are CRAZY! Every Sunday, I wake up with the intent that I will make breakfast, take a shower, look my best, and not leave the house feeling frazzled. So far, that hasn't happened. It is so nice knowing that when I am rushing to make sure my shoes match and my afro is tamed that he has my Bible tucked safely with his.

This list could go on and on. God gave me what I wanted and then blessed me with so many extras that I never would have thought of. I am so thankful for the man that God has given me. I am so grateful for his love and all the little things that he does for me. 

An unfulfilled desire

Have you ever had a desire that hasn't been fulfilled? That is where I am right now in my life. I know that there is something I want, I have prayed for it, and God hasn't provided it yet. I know that He hears my prayers, I know He always answers them, I know that if it is His will, it will come to pass. 

I also know that I am impatient and emotional. This is where my flesh gets all worked up and I want to stomp my feet and cross my arms and poke out my lip and say, "I WANT IT NOW!" 

So, what happens now? Do I keep praying? Absolutely. Does my desire change simply because it hasn't come to pass yet? Definitely not. Is this difficult? More than difficult. Should I be bitter at God for Him not seeing it my way and giving me this desire? I want to be. I want to be mad and angry and frustrated. But, I know that God knows what is best for me. He sees my end from my beginning. He has a plan. His will is perfect. 

I am reminded of what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through when they were being tossed into the fiery furnace. As they were about to be thrown into the furnace for not bowing to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up,  Nebuchadnezzar asked them, "and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"  Their answer was simple, yet so powerful. They said, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. BUT IF NOT, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."  They were willing to go into the fire knowing that God could deliver them, but were still willing to serve Him even if God chose not to deliver them. 

Now, I am not being tossed into the fire, but my response to God must be the same as I am praying that God will give me the desire of my heart. If God provides, I am to praise Him...and if He doesn't I am to praise Him. This is not easy for me to do, but I feel that God is really dealing with my heart on this issue. I pray that my response to Him is the right response. 

I need a vacation from vacation

One of the perks  The biggest perk of being a teacher is that I have some great time off! Having a full 2 weeks off at Christmas time is just what I needed to refresh myself. It is such a beautiful time...no students...no papers to grade...no getting up early...ok, maybe not all of that is true. I brought home some major grading and I still got up early in the mornings with my husband. However, it was so nice to not be tied to the same crazy schedule as usual.

My vacation started out pretty well. I cooked, shopped, wrapped gifts, procrastinated on the aforementioned grading, and enjoyed being lazy. We were having Christmas with my in-laws on the 23rd so we headed there in the evening for an amazing dinner followed by amazing presents! My in-laws are the best. I am so very spoiled. I have never ever been treated like this, so I am enjoying it while it lasts:) I got some great Colts things...a clock...a hat...a stocking...and some other great gifts.

Then the next morning we left for Orlando where my husband's aunt lives. We were on the road by 8 in the morning and there were 6 of us riding in the van together. Crazy!! Orlando is about 8 hours away, so by the time we arrived, we had 30 minutes to change clothes, gather our senses and head to their house. When we got there it was so chaotic. There were about a million people (ok, maybe only 15) there and there was a ton of food and it was loud and happy and overwhelming. (My husband and his family are from Peru. His family and my family could NOT be more different.)

I wish I could adequately put into words the way it looks and sounds as so many people are greeting and talking. Everyone of the people in the house hugged and kissed every one of us as we went in to the house. (This same event happened again at midnight that night and at 2 in the morning when we left for the hotel)

We munched on some goodies that seemed to be everywhere. Such good snack foods. Later we had an amazing dinner and at the stroke of midnight, we wished each other a merry Christmas and opened presents. This took a while because everyone pauses to look at you when you open yours.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we headed back to his aunt's house. We greeted everyone and then walked to the recreation center to play volleyball. It was the strangest Christmas ever. It was warm and windy and we were outside. Not a typical Indiana Christmas at all. The next morning we headed back to Alabama because many people (not me) had to work the next day.

I spent Monday recovering from this quick and busy trip. I unpacked, washed clothes and did a whole lot of nothing. Tuesday, I decided to take down the Christmas decorations and run errands, and Wednesday I bought a dress for New Year's and went to the grocery store. All the while, my stack of ungraded papers sat and mocked me while they gathered dust.

Then on Thursday, we packed up again, loaded up the van again, and headed off on another trip! This time we were headed to St. Louis, another 8 hour drive. This time there were 7 of us in the van and our luggage was strapped to a luggage rack. (in trashbags, of course, because that would stink if it rained!)

We arrived in St. Louis, ate dinner, and went to sleep. The next morning we went sight-seeing. We walked over to the arch, and just as we were about to go into it, the tornado sirens began to go off. SCARY!! Well, because of the weather, no one could go to the top of the arch, so we left. Yes, left. Went back out into the scary weather while the sirens were still going off and we walked to the old cathedral. I felt like we were in a movie seeking sanctuary in a real sanctuary. I thought this would be a good time to pray anyway:) (We heard later that there was a tornado that touched down about 10 miles from where we were.)

After the cathedral, we walked to the old courthouse. We spent some time there, looked at the museum, watched a movie about Dred Scott, and then left. We walked back to the arch. This time the top was open and the family went to the top. I didn't. Those who know me, know that I am not good with heights. (understatement of the century!) My husband and I stayed at the bottom and watched a video of the building of the arch while we waited.

That evening, we went to Mango. It is an amazing Peruvian restaurant in downtown St. Louis. I highly recommend it to anyone if you visit there! We were treated to some amazing food! Four courses later, we rang in the New Year! Then the dancing began. We dragged ourselves back to the hotel at 2am.

The next morning we met for breakfast and then went to see Tron: Legacy. Good movie. Good popcorn. Good company. Later, we were invited to go to the owner of the restaurant's home for a New Year's Day party. Again we indulged in some of the most amazing foods I have ever eaten. We went back to the hotel later that night. Everyone went to the pool. I went to bed. I am old!

We left for home again Sunday morning. I was so happy to sleep in my own bed! My husband and I both had to work on Monday morning, so when the alarm went off to wake us, we were not very happy campers. Today school started for me, so I am really ready to go to bed tonight!

This has been one of the best Christmases ever, but definitely the most exhausting! I will try to post some fun pictures of these trips later.

Oh yeah, and I finally graded my papers...yesterday morning :-)