Joseph's first round of dental boards

Currently, my husband is sitting in a hotel room pouring over his computer and study books, making final preparations to take the first part of dental boards. It may seem too soon to take something so important, but many of his classmates have already done so. Thankfully, the people who make the dental board tests have allowed students to take the first part of boards at the end of their first year of dental school. This is because after the first year, students have been through most, if not all of the material that is presented in the first part of boards. 

Even so, it is nerve-racking. I'm sure Joseph has nothing to be worried about. I've seen how diligent he has been over the past few weeks, taking time out of his normal studying schedule and time away from friends to study the way he needs to for this test. He may not think he is prepared, but I know he is. 

Just thinking about our different perspectives about his test tomorrow gets me thinking about fear and worry. Some of the things I fear the most are things that Joseph wouldn't even bat an eyelash at, and the same goes for him. What makes us have the fears and worries we have? Some would say that it has to do with whether you're male or female, and while that is true to a certain extent, I think it is more personal than that. Have you ever thought about how no matter what you fear or worry about, there is always someone nearby that can comfort you because they're not afraid? I think that God knew what he was doing when he wired our personalities and emotions. Though sometimes the enemy tries to play into our fears and worries, we can always rely on God's word and the people around us to bring us back to reality. 

If you read this today, pray that Joseph will have peace about his test tomorrow. I get knots in my stomach when I think about how much anticipation he must be feeling right now, and I can't imagine how much stress he is under. This time tomorrow, though, he will be free from that stress! Praise the Lord! 

Have a blessed Sabbath,

-Abby 

Letters

One of my favorite things about no longer living in my hometown is receiving and sending letters. It may be a birthday card from a relative, a wedding or baby shower invite, a postcard from a friend on vacation, or the REAL DEAL. 

Nothing is quite so personal than taking the time to sit down, find a sheet of stationary or a cute card, and write someone a letter. Writing a letter can say things that speaking cannot because when you sit down to write, you can think longer about what you want to say. My best apologies are written (Joseph knows this), and that alone makes letters worth writing to me. 

In today's technology-soaked world, we can write whatever we want  for the entire world to see with the click of a mouse. Depending on what it is that you're writing, that can be a very good or very bad thing (or mediocre thing like this blogpost!). So how much more special is it to write a personal letter to a friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend or relative? I challenge you to  write someone a letter this month. It may just be the thing they need to remind them that someone cares. 

I hope all of you had a happy 4th! Let FREEDOM RING! 

-Abby 

Wise Council: seeking it and being it

At church this Sunday, our pastor spoke on 1 Samuel 25, the story of Abigail and David. As a child, this was one of my favorite stories because it was about someone with the same name as me! My dad would often read it to my sister and I before bed whenever it was my turn to pick the story. I think I mostly loved it because it talked about how Abigail was beautiful. Shallow, I know, but I think in reality it is talking about her outward AND inward beauty. This woman is wise. She risked her life to save her wicked husband Nabal who was anything but nice to David's men. Not only did she save Nabal, she saved David from making a terrible mistake. 

While reading this passage, our pastor spoke about how we make decisions on a daily basis. A lot of times, we let our passions make our decisions for us. It could be greed, lust, power, success, anger, etc. that drives any one of our decisions. He also gave some tips on how we should make decisions, and I really felt it hit close to home. So here is what I wrote down: 

When you are faced with a decision...

1. What does God's word say? (Your passions can cloud your vision)

2. What does your heart say? Psalm 37:4 - If we are in the Word, the desires of our hearts follow God's desires. 

3. What does wise council say? (Our passions can be stronger than our hearts sometimes)

                    -Who is my wise council?

                    -Do I listen to wise council when it is given to me? 

                    -Who do I need to bring wise council to? 

When David sent ten of his men to Nabal (the foolish but very wealthy man) to request food and drink, they had been traveling and hiding out from Saul for a long time. In the previous chapter (1 Samuel 24), they had all been hiding in a cave and David had the chance to kill Saul, but his heart told him otherwise. This was a situation when his passion for revenge was not stronger than his heart to listen to the Lord. Maybe it was the wilderness or the amount of time he had been running, but something changed in David when Nabal refused to give he and his men something to eat. He took 400 of his men armed with swords to kill Nabal and his household! 

When Abigail heard what was going on from one of Nabal's herdsmen, she quickly put together a gift of food and drink that took twenty men to carry (twice the gift David had expected because he only sent ten men to Nabal) and followed them to meet David and his men. Without going into too much detail, Abigail showed David what he should do. She was his 3rd step, his wise council. Instead of David becoming a murderer that day, he let God judge Nabal for his actions. 

What a great picture of how a community of believers can hold each other up. We not only need to seek wise council when making a decision, but we need to give wise council to our brothers and sisters when we see the need (even if they don't ask for it!). What wisdom and courage Abigail had, even in the face of her terrible circumstances. She had nothing to gain by going to David (especially since she was a woman during this time) but she did it anyway, because she knew how much David would regret letting his passion for revenge overtake him. 

How can we be like Abigail? Or be like David and accept wise council when it is given to us? Happy Sunday! 

(to listen to the full sermon, go to riovistachurch.com, it should be available by this coming Wednesday) 

- Abby

What I'm knitting lately #1

Since I started back blogging last month, I decided to make a few of my posts devoted to my knitting hobby. A few months ago my sister gave me a BUNCH of yarn that she wasn't going to use, so I knew I needed to start knitting pronto to make use of it. Most of the things I knit either go on my Etsy page to be sold or go in a pile to send with my good friend Katherine back to Bulgaria for the girls her team minister to there. This scarf I just finished is going in the Bulgaria pile. 

I knitted this scarf using Vanna White's acrylic yarn in dusty purple. I love this yarn because it is easy to work with, not too expensive, and becomes softer every time you wash it! That softness is very important for scarves and baby blankets. The pattern came from this website. 

Chevron Lace Knitted Scarf 

Using Size 10 knitting needles, cast on 29 stitches

Row 1: Purl 

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: K2, *yo, K4, K2Tog, K2Tog, K4, yo, K1*, repeat from * and end row with K1

Continue repeating Rows 1-3 until it reaches your desired length (for me it's about 5 feet), cast off and weave in ends. 

So pretty and so easy! If you want you can wash the scarf and block it. In the pictures I took the scarf is not blocked. I hope all of you have a great week! Happy June! 

-Abby 

Strugglin' Along

I know I do not normally just write what I'm feeling and thinking on this blog, but I thought I would give it a try. As a Christian, I think one of the biggest hurdles to jump is learning to accept the struggles in my life. The entire world is struggling with war, hunger, injustice, sin, sickness and many other things. It's hard to watch others suffer and sometimes even harder to struggle through my own issues and hardships. 

Something I have learned quite recently, and hope to brighten your hearts with, is that struggle brings people together. It shapes and forms relationships, whether new or old. If you're struggling with something, tell someone! It's ok to admit you're not the "perfect" person people might think you are. NEWSFLASH! Everyone has things in their life that they wish weren't there, and it feels so much better to have someone else help you give that burden to God. 

I don't know the reason for suffering, especially nonsensical suffering such as sex trafficking and world hunger, but I do know that issues like those break barriers between so many different types of people. I think about my friend, Katherine, who is a missionary in Bulgaria trying to lead girls who have been prostituted and trafficked out of suffering, and I see so many people of all races and religions coming together to FIGHT! 

I wish suffering and personal struggles didn't happen, but in this sinful world we live in, God can use our struggles and suffering to bring about change for the better. He can bring broken relationships back together, He can heal the sick. And if all of this brings one person to Him, it's all worth it. At least I think so. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

-Abby 

Joseph's Birthday Recipes

This month has flown by. So fast. It was just Easter, and now it's almost June! This past Friday was Joseph's 26th birthday! He is officially in his "late 20's". I'm so glad that it coincided with a holiday weekend, because we were able to make a lot of yummy food on Saturday since we had the extra time. I thought I would share a few of those recipes with you!

Crab Cakes with Spicy Remolaude

~Adapted from myrecipes.com ~

Crab Cakes:

•  2 T finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 T chopped parsley (I used dried) 
• 1.5 T mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C Panko bread crumbs
• 1 lb. lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 T olive oil 
• 
  
• Remoulade:
• 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 T chopped shallots
• 1 T capers, drained and chopped (if you're not a caper fan, you can leave these out. I just lessened how much I put in there) 
• 2 tsp creole mustard (add some to taste) 
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt

To Prepare: 

1. Combine first 8 ingredients of crab cakes and mix well. Add Panko and crab meat. Refrigerate for 30 min (optional). 

2. Form patties about 1/3 cup each or for miniature patties 1/6 cup each. 

3. Set saute pan to medium heat, add olive oil 

4. Once heated. place 4 patties in oil and cook a/b 4 min on each side (or until golden brown)

5. To make remoulade sauce, combine all ingredients and stir. Serve with crab cakes! 

** When I made these, I made about 24 miniature crab cakes for the party with a double recipe. If you do them 1/3 cup each you end up with about 14 or 15 with a double recipe

Sweet Asian Chicken Skewers

~adapted from recipe.com~


Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch thick strips (about 24 strips)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I recommend a honey BBQ or brown sugar BBQ)
1/2 sweet chili sauce (in asian section of grocery store)
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 T white sugar
1 T brown sugar
24 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

To Prepare:
1. place chicken strips into baking dish (I used a 13x9 Pyrex)
2. Mix ingredients 2-7 to make sauce
3. Pour sauce over chicken, cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight (save 1/4 cup of sauce for basting on the grill if desired)
4. When ready to make, soak bamboo skewers for about 30 minutes while heating up your grill
5. take chicken out of refrigerator, and place each chicken strip on a skewer
6. grill for about 7-8 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit
7. Enjoy!

Homemade Chipotle Hummus

~adapted from Penzey's Spices magazine~

Ingredients: 

1 16oz can chickpeas

2 T tahini (sesame seed paste; can also sub peanut butter or almond butter with little difference)

1/4 C lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 T olive oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1-3 chipotle peppers (get a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from your ethnic food section at the grocery store and use 1-3 of the peppers according to your taste. I use 3, and I'm not a huge fan of food being super hot. And don't worry about the drops of adobo sauce that get into the mix when you drop the peppers in there...it's delicious!)

1 tsp ground cumin

To Prepare: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If you need extra moisture, add a little more olive oil 

2. Enjoy with sliced red peppers (my favorite), pita chips, or other veggies

Sadly, I did not take any pictures during the party, so all of these are the photos from the original recipe websites. I am definitely not one of those recipe bloggers who takes pictures as he/she cooks/bakes. I can't stand it! It gets in the way of my fun. I hope some of you enjoy these recipes at your own parties. They were all first time tries for me, so I cannot wait to make them again! 

-Abby 

Favorite spots in Destin

Even though it's a day late, I did promise that I would post our favorite places to visit on the Gulf Coast. Here are a few of our favorites (the best!!)...

The Red Bar 

This is by far one of the best places to eat near Destin. It's actually located Greyton Beach, but from where we were staying in San Destin it was only a 15 minute drive. This place is famous for their short chalkboard menu and their amazing food! They are always changing specials depending on what fresh fish they have at the time. 

When we went, I got the blackened grouper. It came served on a grit cake (basically cheese grits pattied up and grilled in a pan...so good) with amazing sauce and served with a salad. Their salad is so simple, but the dressing is to die for. It is a tomato basil vinegarette, and you can click HERE for the recipe! Joseph got the shrimp and crawfish pasta, which was also delicious. 

If you decide to make this place one of the stops on your next beach trip, go early! They get crowded quick. The magic time of arrival is 6:00pm. If you get there a little before 6, you'll be seated right away, but by 6:30, forget it! The only other thing to note if you go to The Red Bar is that they take cash or check only for payment. They do have an ATM inside the restaurant, but who wants an ATM fee? 

the inside of the Red Bar

Baytowne Wharf 

This place is awesome! Whether you have small kids, big kids, or no kids there is always something to do at Baytowne. It's a housing community on the bayside of San Destin, but it has an entire little town full of restaurants, bars, arcades, shops, and more. We love to go there to just window shop  and walk around when we're done at the beach for the day. One of our favorite places to eat there is ACME Oyster House. My mom and Joseph love a good shrimp po'boy

Beautiful Baytowne Wharf at sunset. Since this picture was taken, they added a zip line that goes across the water! 

ACME Oyster House at Baytowne Wharf

Shrimper's Seafood Market

Joseph and I both LOVE fresh seafood. Thankfully we have access to it here in South Florida since we live near the coast. Whenever we go to the Gulf, we either make crab cakes or shrimp and grits, and Joseph buys raw oysters! This time we went, we got our seafood from Shrimper's. They have great seafood and the prices are very fair. Joseph got 15lbs of fresh raw oysters for $25. I don't like oysters, but I got some delicious spicy crab dip for myself. 

Raw Oysters

Inside of Shrimper's (sorry a/b the quality!)

I hope this helps some of you enjoy Destin a little bit more the next time you visit! Please comment below with any of your favorite places on the Gulf Coast! 

~Abby 

The Destin Flood of 2014

This time two weeks ago, Joseph and I were relaxing in a condo in Destin (yes, we live in South Florida, but we drove all the way up to Destin to go to the beach with family). My dad had a Rheumatology convention he had to go to for work (he is a pharmaceutical rep), so we jumped at the chance for a free place to stay at the beach and time with my parents! Little did we know what kind of weather would be awaiting as we arrived in northwest Florida...

When we first arrived on Tuesday, beach deserted, trying not to get stung by flying sand!

To the left of the pool area is water...

Needless to say, the beach was beautiful, but eerie. And yes that water in the picture above is not supposed to be there! The condo building next to ours had some flooding, and so did ours. Thankfully we were not on the first floor of the building, so we avoided having to move rooms. Tuesday afternoon was spent grocery shopping and going to dinner at The Red Bar with some friends who were in town. My parents arrived late Tuesday night, so we did not see them until Wednesday morning. 

It rained all day on Wednesday:(. Rachel, my good friend from college came in town and stayed with us for a night! Wednesday night we hung out at the condo working on puzzles, catching up, and eating shrimp and grits. Thursday morning was dreary, but in the afternoon we were able to go out on the beach and relax some, sans sun. Joseph enjoyed eating fresh oysters all week from Shrimpers Seafood Market (we love that place!). Sadly, we missed my sister, brother, and brother in law because they arrived for the weekend just after we left for home:(

The week ended with an all day drive back to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday, and a great weekend with girlfriends for me while Joseph attended the men's retreat at our church!

We had so much fun in Destin, and being there reminds me of childhood family vacations. At least every other year our family would go to the beach during the summer. Destin is one of my favorite places to go because it is so close to great restaurants and fun things to do. 

family! 

even though we're adults, we can still take silly pics

Rachel and I 

Classic.

Have a great hump day tomorrow! I'll be back tomorrow with recommendations on eats and hangouts in Destin! 

-Abby 

Back to Blogland

After a little unintentional hiatus, I am back for awhile! I started my new nursing job near the end of January, which is really busy but going well, and haven't really even checked my blog since then. 

So what's going on with us? Well...

As of last Monday, Joseph finished his FIRST YEAR of DENTAL SCHOOL!!! (Pause for sigh of relief and applause...) I could not be more proud of him for finishing this first phase of grad school. Only 3 more years! He is off for the rest of this week, then starts back with summer classes on Monday. Although I wish he were off for longer now, he does get two other short breaks throughout the summer, which is nice for planning fun trips to see family and maybe a vacation somewhere in there :) 

About to see Aziz Ansari at Hard Rock Casino

My job is going really well! I started off not knowing what would happen (I'm working in the Operating Room) because all of my experience is in Open Heart Surgery, but I am getting to do a little of everything, which is fun and makes time go by pretty quick. I am weird, but I love the intricacies of surgery and the special attention to detail and care of the patient that is involved in it. Sure, the OR has drama, but if you put all that aside, it can be really fun!

Friends at work

We are enjoying Ft. Lauderdale this time of year. We are attending a church here (Rio Vista Community Church) and have found a lot of friends there. There are a lot of singles and couples in their 20s and 30s in this church, so one of the pastors started a ministry for us! We do all sorts of meetings and activities focusing on fellowship, learning and service. I have loved getting to know people through that group and through our community group that meets once a week. 

Community group girls at brunch after church

Sitting on the Reynolds' dock behind their house

Dexter being....Dexter 

Now that things are settling down for my schedule, I want to blog more often about certain things going on in our lives: 

1. Weekly/Bi-weekly update of life with pictures

2. What I'm currently knitting - updated as I start/finish new projects with pattern included (if it's ok to share)

3. Dental School updates/doing dental school through the military

4. Other projects/Product reviews/Personal stories/Recipes, etc.

What do y'all think? Any things that you guys want to hear about that I didn't list? 

Have a great hump day! 

-Abby 

Sunset from my rearview

Fresh Knit Friday #1

Happy Friday everyone from AHRknits!  For the next 4 weeks, I will be debuting new knitted accessories every Friday that are ready to ship! These items will include FREE SHIPPING! Yippee! Here is a little taste of what I have posted today...

Two-tone Chocolate knitted Infinity Scarf

Reversible Mint and Navy Knitted Neck Warmer

Don't you think the one above is a little Katniss-esque? I love it so much I want to keep it! Click on the descriptions below the pictures to be taken to the items I added today. Also feel free to visit my Etsy shop main page HERE to see my other items! 

Have a great weekend, and stay warm! 

- A 

Work Hiatus & Etsy store shameless plug

As I sit in the living room at our apartment in South Florida, many of you are freezing in the other 49 states. Joseph and I are officially back home...and after almost three weeks away, it feels dang good! (I will admit that I was SO ready to go back to Alabama for some colder weather a few weeks ago, but we definitely got our fill and were more than ready for the warmth!). 

Over the break from school (for Joseph, that is), I accepted a new job as an Operating Room RN! Although I am no stranger to the OR, I only have experience in open heart surgery, and am looking forward to learning the ins-and-outs of everything "O.R." That being said, my job does not start until the end of January, so that gives me some time to .... hopefully not be too bored. To make my time more useful, I have decided to re-open my Etsy store, AHR knits. I knit scarves, blankets and ear warmers for all you folks experiencing "winter". Though currently it is 70 degrees and raining where I am, I like to pretend I need a scarf some days, and knitting them for you people curbs my craving to wear one! 

click HERE to view my shop and order some things to warm you up! Currently, all of my items for sale are made to order. Keep checking for updates as I post some pre-made items so you don't have to wait to get cozy!

Have a great hump day! 

- A