Happy Valentine's Day

We don't really "celebrate" Valentine's Day around here; honestly, I just see it as another way for stores to get our money and to commercialize yet another aspect of life that doesn't need so much commercializing. Does Valentine's Day even stand for love anymore? Or is it really just a day of attempting to meet expectations or trying to erase the feeling that everyone but you has "someone special" or even worse, an excuse to buy candy?? I just have a problem with all of that. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with Valentine's Day; in fact, I think it is a good day to remind us what love really is. I just have a problem with what our society has made of it.

The Bible says a lot about love. Out of curiousity, I did a quick search and the word is mentioned 500 times in the New King James version. That's a lot; it must be important. The verse that comes quickest to mind for me though is this one:

I Corinthians 13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

God said those words. He said that love is the greatest. But how often do we use that word to relay a simple meaning such as "I love pancakes" or "I love that book" or "I love dark chocolate hearts with caramel filling with a little sea salt sprinkled on top"? What??? You've never said that? Well, admittedly I have overused the word and you've probably said something similar, if you're being honest. But in all reality does that compare to this:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Do I love pancakes so much that I would die for them? Um, no. I may like them a LOT (and crave them constantly, even when I'm not pregnant and eat way too many of them when I do eat them) but my "love" for pancakes is nowhere close to the love that God has for each one of us. When God talks about love, it's highly significant. I've never read a verse where he talks about loving inanimate objects; he loves people. He even talks about loving our enemies, which is a bold step for most of us. That's not an easy one. 

I guess this may come across has sounding kind of "bah humbugish" and perhaps like I have something against Valentine's Day but I don't really intend it to be that way. I do get fed up with the way we tend to let commercialization run our lives sometimes (that may be one reason that Thanksgiving becomes my new favorite holiday...stores haven't yet figured out a way to convince us to start swapping gifts that day). But maybe more than anything this day should just serve as a reminder that LOVE is the greatest. This day, instead of bringing us down as it may for some or making us feel that we have to do something to stay out of the ubiquitous doghouse, instead, can re-focus us on the One that loves us so much that he actually gave His son to die in our place. And it can remind us to love those around us on a daily basis, whether in big ways or simple small ways. AND it can remind us that love is not reserved only for those that are easy to love, it is also necessary and required to love on those people that make it difficult.

So Happy Valentine's Day! I do hope that today is special for each and every one of you but not because you got great chocolates or really pretty roses, but because you chose to love in a different way, in a way that God intended.

I John 4:7-11, 20-21

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

(In full disclosure, I spent some money this year on cards and candy. I'm not sorry I bought that stuff but I am sorry that I did it only because it was Valentine's Day. This year, Valentine's Day for me IS a reminder that every day should be treated special so this sort of jumpstarted a new beginning.

Also I want to add that I know that some people really enjoy getting gifts and it means just as much to them as spending time with those I love means to me. Everyone has their "love language" and I respect that. There is nothing wrong with gifts; it's just the intentions or the reason behind the gift giving that started this post.)

Thanksgiving 2011 and beyond!

Well we wrapped up the last couple of months of 2011 in the Martinez household and man oh man, it was a whirlwind! 

Some highlights/memorable moments...

My parents and brother were able to come to Laramie to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and keep me company while DJ traveled to Boise for a football game the day after Thanksgiving. I love having my family come to visit especially when they all come together.

Not so much a highlight as it is just memorable, Jayden began his, what we would find out to be, weeks of illness. It started with a cold, turned into croup, developed into a double ear infection and finally made it's way the heck out of dodge. But not before it reared it's ugly head on me as well. Jayden and I have been sharing germs back and forth for some time now and not because we're both feeling especially generous... I guess it's just part of the mother/son bond.

The Cowboys finished up a very successful season after winning 8 games, 2 more than needed to be bowl eligible! Jayden and I didn't make it to any regular season away games even though I had planned on going to Fort Collins and Colorado Springs but between being constantly sick and then having not-so-good weather, we ended up cheering on our boys from home. 

Mid-December found us traveling to Albuquerque though for the New Mexico Bowl. Unfortunately we lost that game but we were able to introduce Jayden to his great grandparents that live in Taos as well as some other family and friends that were able to come to the hotel where we were staying so for the Martinez family it was a pretty good trip. Once again though Jayden became quite sick, this time with a very high fever (at one point it got to 103 degrees) so each day was a waiting game to see if we would be able to venture out and enjoy the day. It didn't happen often and needless to say, we were very happy to head home after the game on Saturday. It's not very fun to take care of a sick baby in a hotel room! (Another tiny little highlight is that Jayden got his own seat on the plane ride to and from Albuquerque and now I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to travel again without purchasing another seat for Jayden. It was great!!)

A personal highlight for me was getting to travel to Rapid City during the first week of December for a quick one night stay in order to attend my grandma's cookie exchange. I didn't realize it at first but discovered later that it had been 9 YEARS since I had been to a cookie exchange so I was even happier that I had braved the drive to be there for one night. I was reminded once again of the amazing hosting skills that my grandma has - I hope after about 50 more years of my own parties that I can be as efficient and organized as her and make it all look effortless!!

AND even more notable about that trip was that it was the first night I had ever spent away from Jayden. DJ and I had been working on weaning Jayden from nursing at night and two days before the trip, he went the whole night without nursing so I got it in my head that it might be a good time for me to leave Jayden and finish the weaning process for good. It turned out to be a very good idea because in addition to having great one-on-one time with his daddy, Jayden hasn't nursed since that day (he was already done nursing during the day so we were just down to nighttime nursing sessions). As a side note, I have to tell you that I miss some of the benefits of nursing A LOT such as having an easy way of calming Jayden when he has a temper tantrum and providing additional nutrients during cold and flu season but I do not miss the responsibility. I was needing some "me" time and having my body back to myself before the new baby comes.

After the bowl game, DJ's schedule has significantly slowed down much to my GREAT relief. We attended a few Christmas parties (a very funny memory coming about one of those), traveled to Rapid City for 10 days (also very memorable) and spent a week of enjoying a 2 hour/day work schedule for DJ. It's times like these that make me wonder what the heck we are doing in this profession because man oh man, it can be brutal! It has been so nice having DJ around more and I think DJ and Jayden will really be able to develop their relationship more before the baby comes!

At the football Christmas party that the head coach holds for his staff, babysitters were provided to watch the kids in another room at the hotel where the party was held. It was a great idea I thought, until we got there and I realized the sitters were high school girls that didn't really seem to have a whole lot of experience with children. But I threw caution to the wind given that we were literally next door in the other room and tried to stay out of the way since it seemed to bother Jayden more if I went in the room to check on him. Well.... I later found out that one of the activities the girls did with the kids was decorating cookies. They give the kids GIANT bowls of icing that were filled with ooey gooey deliciousness that Jayden had no idea was intended for the cookies. All he knew was that it tasted really. really. good. And he proceeded to ingest more icing than any other child there according to reports from other mothers and the babysitters... I was mortified to say the least. To top that, they had also given dinner to the kids but, given my naiveté of being a first time mother, I didn't think to ask what they would be serving. I just assume that other people realize what is appropriate to feed a 15 month old such as not feeding them greasy, breaded, sugary foods as a meal. Well I learned my lesson that night. Jayden got his first taste of french fries and I was also told that he ate more chicken strips and fries than any other kid there and he was one of the youngest there... I left the party very worried about what the night was going to hold in terms of a sick baby but thankfully, Jayden's digestive system seemed to handle the sugar and grease just fine. Yaaay... I hope to have pictures soon that another mother took so I'll be sure to share those.

We spent a mostly fantastic Christmas in Rapid City which was the first time since May that we had traveled there as a family of 3. It's hard to believe how much time had gone by! And I say it was mostly fantastic because on Christmas Day, lovely of all lovelies, I came down with the flu. I made it through the gifts and Christmas waffles before I stationed myself upstairs for the rest of the day. I then spent the afternoon in the emergency room because I became dehydrated and I got worried about the baby so to be safe, we went to the hospital where they gave me a couple liters of fluids (I'm starting to feel at home with an IV in me this pregnancy. This wasn't the first time I've gotten dehydrated/sick and needed fluids. Hopefully it's the last time though.) I felt much much better once we returned from the hospital but unfortunately I passed the bug to DJ, my brother Chace, my brother-in-law Dan, my mom, my mother-in-law and my aunt. Merry Christmas. So that part wasn't fantastic but the rest of the time was great and the bug tended to only last about 15-20 hours so it was a quick thing. 

DJ and I had a couple of dates while we were in Rapid City too! We went to a movie with our brothers, Dan's girlfriend and another friend (Mission Impossible 4 if you're wondering and it was really good - DJ and I enjoyed it anyway, others were only moderately entertained). And we also got to spend New Years Eve out when we attended a very exciting hockey game and then rang in the New Year with our very good friends from high school at one of their homes. I think it was probably the first time I had celebrated the New Year by staying up till midnight since high school! My inlaws graciously offered to watch Jayden both times and he did really well and went to bed fairly easily both times - what a relief that was for us!

And now here we are our first week into 2012! I definitely have some New Year's resolutions in mind that I hope will include being a better blogger!! Especially because I have become quite lax in documenting Jayden's life. I know I'm really going to regret that later because he is going through so many milestones right now. So here's to hoping!

New Year's Resolutions

I've never been one to make an official New Year's resolution but I do think the beginning of the year is a good time to make changes. It always gets me thinking about what I want to do better, newer, more of, different over the next year.

This year I've got healthy on the brain.

Healthy eating.

Healthy living.

Healthy lifestyle.

I know why, of course. It's all because of Jayden. I think when you have a brand new little life that you're completely in charge of, naturally, you don't want to scre..um, mess it up. (Jayden might read this some day. Gotta watch my language ya know.)

But even before Jayden came along, DJ and I have tried making changes to our lives a little at a time to make them healthier. Some specific things that we have changed... We make a conscious attempt at eating more veggies. We try to drink a lot of water every day. We stopped using popular brands of peanut butter. We check the ingredients of foods that we buy and if possible, we make things from scratch, like spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, that sort of thing. 

But I want to continue to take those healthy steps forward because I think we... I can do better!

Another thing that has been on my mind in terms of "bettering myself" is BEING INTENTIONAL. Being intentional in my marriage, in my relationship with God, in my role as a mother and as a woman. Instead of just taking what life gives me, I want to have a say in it.

I don't want to just be satisfied with a good marriage; I want it to be GREAT.

I don't want to just say that "I'm a Christian"; I want my life to reflect God's goodness through my ACTIONS.

I don't want to just "make it" as a mother; I want to be a ROLE MODEL.

I don't want to just live with my new postpartum body; I want to be FIT and make my husband PROUD.

I think reflecting on our lives at the beginning of the year is a good thing. It gives us an opportunity to switch directions if we aren't quite going the way we want to be headed.

Jayden Milestones: This really isn't a milestone per se, but Jayden went 5 hours today without eating! Which means, of course, that I worked for 5 uninterrupted hours! That hasn't happened since August 13. It was definitely enough to make us (as in the nanny and I) stop and take notice. Jayden slept for 3 of those hours so I guess he was just wiped and food took second to sleep today.

Nicolette, the nanny, took Jayden on a quick little walk today but he didn't last long before he was out.

A Non-Traditional Easter

Last weekend, we celebrated Easter a little differently than we normally have in the past. It was perfect though. Instead of spending it with family, which would have been impossible, we decided to take advantage of the summer-like weather that we've been having and head into the mountains. After we went to an early church service, we hurried home and got everything together. I had made deviled eggs and a fruit salad the day before to take along and we also had some ham sandwiches, pasta salad, chips and pretzels to add to the mix. So our meal still had an Easter vibe but just served a non-typical way.

We picked up Cody along the way and headed to the Smokies by way of Gatlinburg. It was in the mid-80s and we weren't the only ones that had the idea of a non-traditional Easter. There were hundreds of people at the picnic area that we found in the Smokies and hundreds more that were roaming the streets of Gatlinburg. But it didn't seem crowded at our picnic. The area was perfect sitting next to the river that passes through the national park and the water drowned out all the noise of the people. We ate some food, played some cards, took a walk, experimented with the new camera and got plenty of sun. It was a great way to spend a day that celebrates new life and our risen Savior.







The following pictures were all taken by DJ. He is loving the new camera and I am loving the fact that we may have found an activity that we can enjoy together!






Stinkerbutt, as we so lovingly call our dog, got to come too.




Of course I had to get some pictures of the magnolia tree. I've never seen such a tree! It's so gorgeous with its giant flower blooms. And the peach trees and dogwood trees (didn't get a picture of the dogwoods yet), are also in full bloom. I love this time of year!

Baker's Special - Raspberry Chocolate Cake

I never got around to blogging about it at the time, but we celebrated DJ's birthday last month. DJ and I decided to alternate years for celebrating each other's birthdays in extra special ways and since last year, it was DJ's turn for "extra special", this year, we celebrated on a smaller scale. But of course it still had to be special.

Since I know DJ loves chocolate combined with either cherries or raspberries, I decided to make a raspberry chocolate cake. Only this was no ordinary cake. I decided to go all out and do everything from scratch, cake, frosting, everything. I found recipes all claiming to make the best EVER cake/frosting/ganache. I thought I couldn't possibly go wrong if I used the best of the best for everything. I started out with the moistest cake EVER. Each layer was separated with a homemade chocolate buttercream frosting with the very middle layer including a layer of juicy raspberries. I then iced the entire outside with a rich ganache and layered the top with additional juicy raspberries. It was heaven.

The whole process started out a little shaky though. First the cake didn't start getting made until about 6:00 pm. It then had to bake and cool. While baking, one pan of batter deciding to overflow in the oven, resulting in a slightly deflated cake. When the cakes were finally ready to frost,I whipped up a batch of the buttercream frosting, but it was not enough. So another batch had to be made. Thankfully I had enough ingredients. By this time it was nearing 9:30 or 10:00 pm. Surprisngly the ganache presented no problems whatsoever, and I was able to cover all flaws with a thick layer. After all was said and done, the flavor of everything combined was perfect and it made up for the long wait. I even have a witness who has stated that it is the best cake he has ever eaten. And it wasn't DJ.

Atlanta - Part 1

DJ and I arrived in Atlanta on Christmas Day after spending the morning eating Monkey Bread Muffins (which were divine), opening our stockings (which were filled with candy, mind puzzles, UT paraphernalia, makeup and the like...) and packing like fiends (since we chose to wait till the last minute, it was a bit of a frenzy and as DJ stated best, it was the epitome of over packing).

A couple of hours after we arrived, we were treated to a Christmas dinner of roast beef, turkey, tilapia, mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle, green beans, rolls and the most wide array of yummy desserts that you can imagine. I can now say that I've had dinner with Lane Kiffin and his wife. Granted we didn't sit at the same table but who cares about the details. Details, shmetails.

DJ had to work the rest of the night and I contemplated what the coming week would hold as I sat in the hotel room surrounded by four walls that were quickly closing in on me, somewhat suffocatingly. I think I was sort of tired and a little delirious after not getting much sleep the two nights before and then not eating anything but sugar all day so I actually considered going home and coming back when DJ's parents arrived but thankfully I realized this was just the delirium talking and DJ convinced me that it would be best to stay.

So far, I'm glad I did.

The next day, I slept in while DJ woke up at the crack of dawn. He's not been getting much sleep since we got here. We go to bed really late (read: 12 or 1 in the morning) and then he has to wake up and get to the training room by about 7 usually. I, on the other hand, have been sleeping till about 10, lazing around, watching movies, reaing my book and finally showering and then investigating the activities around the hotel. I determined before arriving that I would be treating myself to a Starbucks every morning since there is one in the lobby of the hotel. I've gotta have something to motivate me to shower and leave my hotel room!

Today is the first day I've had Internet (unless I wanted to pay $16 at the hotel for one day's worth of internet - ONE DAY. Ummm, no.) and I sit right now in the Starbucks a couple blocks down from the hotel surrounded by loud teenagers enjoying the access to the outside world via the World Wide Web. I love it.

Now, I'm off to meet my husband and go explore Atlanta! I can't wait to explore this historic city - there is so much to see and do!

Christmas at the Martinez's

At last my house feels like a home. I love the feeling of walking in the door and just feeling like you belong, that feeling of family.

Unfortunately I think a lot of it has to do with my Christmas decorations. Which makes me wonder what the sense of hominess is going to do when I take down the Christmas decor. I hope it doesn't decide to leave.

Though I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

In the mean time, share in the hominess with me...

Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2:14



Even Maia feels right at home. (*Big sigh of contentment*)

Thanksgiving Happenings

Yes, I know that we're 8 days from Christmas so I'm way past due talking about Thanksgiving but I gotta get it documented, ya know? But I AM going to do it all in one post and stick to the highlights so here we go!

As you know my parents and brother came down from SD to spend the week with us and we were going, going, going the minute I picked them up from the airport. One of the smaller, but no less important, highlights was waking up each morning and drinking coffee together as we caught up on everything and discussed what we would do for the day. (I was also reminded of the vast amount of coffee that my parents consume on a daily basis. We're talking, at least 3 pots were consumed every morning and Chace and I probably each had one cup each. MAYBE 1.5 cups each. So that leaves the rest of the 2.5 POTS for my mom and dad. I think I have a small inkling of where a lot of my mom's energy comes from...) Not only do I love just sitting around and having a good cup of coffee in the morning but it was great to share the time with my family and just...be.

Another highlight, which we will forever remember for a number of reasons, was going to the Kentucky/Vols football game. In Kentucky. I had told my mom that when they were here we would have to visit another state since we live so close to so many and we did! And this wasn't even a planned excursion initially but when I realized how close it actually was, I knew we had to do it because this would be the only opportunity for my parents to see a game. And I'm so glad we did! The Vols won in overtime and it was the last game of the season so that win clinched us a good bowl game.

Our quarterback Jonathan Crompton

It always cracks me up when the team does its pregame stretches.




Our coach Lane Kiffin - what always cracks me up about him is that it always looks like he's a little boy wearing daddy's clothes. His shirts are always HUGE!

And this would be the hubs.


I love telephoto lenses! It looks like I'm standing right next to him huh?




















It was a little smoky from the Kentucky team's introduction... I think they did that on purpose so we couldn't see our own team enter the stadium.

We ended the night by getting lost on the way back to our car. Not until we were deep in the 'hoods of Lexington did we decide to use the GPS on Chace's phone. Oh yeaaaaah... The GPeeeesssS....

Another highlight of the week was getting a tour of the Vols locker room. It is gorgeous!


Come on in!







It's a tradition to jump up and hit the Tennessee sign before leaving the locker room and running out onto the field.





And then we were able to walk out on the field.

Standing on the 50 yard line. Cool! Standing on the checkerboard end zone. Cool! Running on the field. Thankfully no one got my picture when I ran. Apparently I look like an ostrich on drugs or something, or so I'm told... So those were just a few of the bigger highlights but really the entire time they were here, I knew we were making so many great memories that we would cherish for a lifetime. I was so glad that they all were able to stay in our house and so glad that my mom and I were able to cook Thanksgiving dinner together which by the way, was a HUGE success. (Yaay!! *raising hands in victory*)