Where has summer gone?

Time flies by when you are busy.  I'm not sure where the summer has gone...but who am I kidding?  It is still 90 degrees in FL...summer just keeps on going!  We have spent alot of time with family and friends the past few weeks.  We've also watched our house go up and have learned some new recipes.  Here are a few of the highlights:

Kyle, Donna, Isaac, Gabe

Gabe taught me how to make Eggplant Stacks.  They are layers of panko-eggplant,  herbed goat cheese, fresh basil and tomatoes with balsamic glaze.  Delicious!

Isaac and Gabe played a few friendly rounds of cornhole after jet-skiing two days in a row.  We were all wiped out!  Isn't the view of the pond lovely? 

The two mornings we enjoyed at Gabe and Donna's included feeding the turtles in their pond.  We feed them turtle food at first until we ran out, then switched to cat food.

Meet Caiden Matthew Lilly.  He is so handsome!  So happy for our friends Matt and Abbie and big sister Adelyn.

Princess Adelyn watching princess shows on her daddy's iPad...so nice of him to share:) 

Just look at that cute thinker...Abbie, I think we have another member of "The Pinky and The Brain" club-but this one looks like a Brain-finally!

Isaac joined me (more willingly this time) for another cooking class.  We learned the proper use of knives at Knife Skills 1.  Isaac discovered that he is a "rocker" with a preference for the Chef's knife.  I'm a "chopper" and can't use a Chef's knife to save my life!

Chef Dave nominated Isaac to be the "salt man" for our winter vegetable soup.  We also made gourmet grilled cheese.

Our lot was scraped in August.

For a couple of weeks the only sign of progress was the Port-a-poti...If you build it, they will come...

Then the foundation was laid after our lot was rezoned...apparently our lot used to be a flood plain and was never rezoned after the land was regraded...but now we're back on track.

For all of you non-Floridians...cement block is hurricane building code for first floors of homes here.  

Second story is on and the roof is going on.

Today the house had windows, a roof, and inside there was electrical work being done.   We are looking forward to moving in!

Busy Man Isaac

We've been very busy lately with all of Isaac's latest commitments to career and church. His business is up and running, and we are worn out! Isaac was in St. Louis the last week of July while I shopped for decorations for his office. The firm has been so great to Isaac, but his office needed some serious help. He just started with a desk, two hunter green rolling chairs, and a hunter green client chair in a blank box of a room with one hunter green accent wall (lovely-got to love the hunter green!). I kinda felt like I was on an episode of Design Star during the white box challenge, and sadly, I would not have won due to budget restraints! Now Isaac looks like he works in Kirkland's...but hey, it is warm, inviting, and cozy. As soon as he got back from St. Louis, we hit Tampa's Back 2 School Bash to advertise 529 college savings plans and make client contacts. We both worked 12 days in a row and basically laid around the house all this past weekend recovering.

After the Back 2 School Bash ended, we head over to church so that Isaac could attend the Deacon Ordination Service. Here is a picture below of Isaac giving his testimony (notice the blurriness-he did not stop moving one time while he was on that stage!).

His testimony was only supposed to last 90 seconds, but he started with the line, "since I'm the last to give my testimony, I don't have any time constraints." He started off with a joke, then said the word "hell" twice (but in context, it was not a bad word, but still), and then ended with a bunch of amens, deacon head nodding, and applause. Pastor got up after Isaac sat down and laughing said, "well, thank you, Brother Isaac". I wish I had videotaped him-he was just too much. The end of the service was especially precious as all of the deacons came up front and prayed for both of us. We are both looking forward to serving in this capacity and making more friends within our church.

Cooking Class Date Night

Last night I drug Isaac over to a cooking class at The Rolling Pin. He was very reluctant to go, especially after sharing the planned menu, stating that he doesn't like "cold soup" or "salmon patties". So I pointed out that he might feel differently if the chilled tomato soup and salmon burgers were made by a gourmet chef...I was right. Chef Dave lead the demonstration cooking class which Isaac enjoyed because he got to watch someone else do the work while he ate their creations. I had a great time too, but now I want to take the hands-on classes so that we can eat this good at home!

Our first course was Crostini with Lump Crab Salad and Extra Virgin Olive Oil...so delicious! The salad had homemade roasted red peppers which I'm excited to be able to make the way Chef Dave does once we move into our new house. He holds the pepper over his gas burner and chars the pepper before placing it in the oven to roast...I might need to purchase a fire extinguisher before I try that one!

Here is Isaac thoroughly enjoying his "cold soup". The Farmstand Tomato Soup with Arugula Pesto was to-die-for yumminess...and we learned that it can be served hot or cold. We both did enjoy the soup chilled with the pesto mixed into every bite. I've got to get my basil plants back to health so that I can make pesto at home.

The main course was Salmon Burgers with Ginger Mustard Mayonnaise and Corn on the Cob with Mint-Feta butter. These burgers were no salmon patties! I usually don't butter my corn, but this Mint-Feta butter was pure heaven, and I loved how Chef Dave cut up the corn into smaller mini-cobs.

We ended the lovely evening with some heat. The Peach-Siracha Sorbet had quite the kick at the end, but was the perfect ending to the meal. I was inspired to get out the ice cream maker we received as a wedding gift and start making my own icy treats.

I think it is safe to say that Isaac was glad that I made him go to the cooking class with me...he even shared in Sunday School this morning that the food was so good that he might be able to be convinced to go again. However, due to the cost of the hands-on cooking classes, I think I'll be going solo to those...any other ladies care to join me for Cooking 101?

Due Date~9 months Waiting

Today is our referral due date...9 months of waiting are complete today...instead of being sad that we aren't getting our referral in our timing, we are going to Rita's Italian Ice to celebrate that we are 9 months closer to our boys and that God's timing is perfect. Our new due date is December 11th...we'll see what the future holds...until then, we're going to enjoy some Mango Italian Ice!

7th Wedding Anniversary

Today we are celebrating 7 years of marriage! We went out for dinner last night at Roy's Restaurant in Tampa. The evening started with congratulations on our anniversary and then by the end of the night we were celebrating my birthday?...notice the birthday candle on our molten chocolate cake...we're wondering who received our anniversary cake!

In some ways it is hard to believe that we've been married for 7 years...in other ways, it feels like we've been married for 70 years. The most important thing is that we still love each other, more than we loved each other on our wedding day.

July 4th Weekend

We went on our 3rd annual summer beach vacation with the Steward family over the July 4th weekend. This year we stayed closer to home and vacayed on St. Pete Beach at the Tradewinds Resort.

I got to attend my first Rays Baseball Game while we were in St. Pete...and they won! I've been wanting to go to a game ever since I found out that the stadium is enclosed and air-conditioned...I know, I'm such a girl. The little girls did great and Abby was especially entertained by the popcorn...

Hmmm...I love popcorn, Mr. Isaac.

Here, try some popcorn Mr. Isaac.

Can't you tell Abby loves popcorn by the look on her face? Too cute. She polished off the whole bag, including the crumbs!

Katie, Jason, and Carly enjoying some baseball.

Me and Isaac at Tropicana Field.

Katie, Abby, Carly, and Jason...even though they are Gator fans, we still love 'em:)

Checking out the ray tank...they were needing some rest from all of their visitors, and we only got to stay for a second.

Sunday night the resort presented their Fourth of July firework display...it was really fun to sit on our lounge chairs by the pool while we watched the sky light up.

Happy Fourth of July! We ate dinner on the beach at Crabby Bill's. Yummy.

View from the top of Crabby Bill's before the sun started to set. We drove home at dusk and got to see amazing firework displays all the way home. The highlight was when we reached the peak of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and saw fireworks all along the coast is every color of the rainbow...so cool.

His & Her Projects

Our adoption due date for our referral is this coming Monday, July 11th...and we know that it is just not gonna happen. The latest update for wait time until referral is 14months...that pushes our family back to December...we are hopeful for Christmas babies, but we aren't holding to hold our breath either...I wish I wasn't so skeptical, but I guess I'm just trying to guard my heart and not set myself up for a Christmas heartbreak...I'd prefer not to cry myself to sleep on Christmas Eve, again...

So, to pass the extra time, Isaac started a new project: a new career. Pretty big project, lots of hours, sweat, and tears, but it will be totally worth the short-term pain for the long-term gain...for both of us and our children. He has passed all of his financial series exams, is now taking clients, and is basically working like a dog. One sliver lining to the long hours madness is that Isaac has an opportunity in the next year to earn a vacation to the Greek Isles (among other places), and I plan to support him all the way to Greece and back again to earn another vacation, maybe Bora Bora will be our next stop. But seriously, this is the career move we've been praying for and that God has been preparing Isaac for through every job before. It has been pretty amazing to see how God lead Isaac to each job or stepping stone along the way and watch this culmination of skills and talents come together for a fulfilling life calling. So excited for my hubby. A couple of weekends ago we got to attend the firm's regional summer conference in Bonita Springs and get dressed up for the awards ceremony. It was a great weekend spent with a collection of wonderful fellow financial advisors and their beautiful families. Can't wait for next year!

Since Isaac started his new project, I needed one of my own that was bigger than just cleaning out my closet. So, I decided to build a house...actually we decided to build a house, but I get to make all of the design decisions, finally! This is our 4th house in 7 years, and the first that I get to pick out the location, floor plan, and all the other design details...which should translate to a shorter honey-do list for Isaac since everything will hopefully be constructed the right way the first time! Our new home is only 2 minutes from my job, 5 minutes from our church and planned preschool, will be about 10 minutes from Isaac's office, and 15 minutes to Tampa...now my dad can't make fun anymore that we are 25-30 minutes from everything, and we won't be spending so much time in the car or as much money on gasoline. Below is a picture of our lot...not much to look at yet, but the ground will be broken in just a couple of weeks and we'll be living in our new home by Christmas.